Crossing the line
by Rachel the Fiend Hunter
Summary: Still trying to find her place in the new world, Lightning bounces around from job to job. Hope aids her in trying to find her niche, all the while keeping her location a secret from the others. On a whim, she decides to visit him one day, inevitably changing both of their fates...for better or worse.
1. Chapter 1

Yes, this fic is rated "M" there is a sexual encounter below, and it's not really too graphic, but even so, you can't help but to be careful.

-Rachel

* * *

Sighing to herself, she never clearly understood why she took this job. Maybe for a decent change of pace, from the long centuries of fighting on Cocoon/Pulse and Valhalla. Wearing civilian clothes for it? No problem. Being told that your 'name certainly can't be 'Lightning' and that you need to provide a 'normal' name? A pain. Not being called 'Claire' for over 1000 years was also a predicament. Serah herself abstained from saying Lightning's real name, only ever saying it on occasion. Her boss was also a jerk, spouting off nonsense and drivel about this and that. Muttering about the fact that had 'Hope not vouched for (her)' she'd never have attained this job in the first place.

Maybe the office life wasn't the thing for her. Giving up the life of the sword, struggle and fight for collating, photo copying, filing paperwork..it was dull. There was also the sense that her coworkers had a dislike for her. Always averting their eyes, and, on one occasion, Lightning had heard them saying things about how she'd only been able to get this job through a connection. That she dyed her hair, though pink was her natural color. Staring at the clock, it broke her concentration for the moment.

For the majority of the work day, all she could hope for was to go home. Yet another sigh, and recoiling at the bitter taste of her cold coffee, she was losing her patience. Out of desperation, she called Hope directly. After a few rings, he picked up.

"Light?" hearing Hope's voice soothed her for the moment. Shutting her eyes, she imagined herself anywhere but in a stuffy office building, in the exact same cubicle as the hundreds of workers within. "Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here." Lightning didn't know where to begin. Talking to a friend helped retain her sanity.

"What's wrong?" how was it that Hope could always immediately tell something was wrong with her?

"Starting to think that I hate this place." Lightning decided to be blunt about it. She'd tried hard, and she really did, but it was becoming unbearable. How did humans in this world hope to live like this?

"It's just not for you, is it?" Hope asked, "I thought this would happen." he added, "Don't get me wrong, Light- you're great at a lot of things, but I didn't think this setting would be right for you. And it's no big deal that it's not. You don't need to stay, if it makes you miserable. It's pretty safe to say that you gave it your best shot."

"Even though you stuck out your neck for me?" Lightning asked.

"It's not a big deal, Light." Hope tried to be assuring, and she heard his new assistant in the background. Also a few students that he had taken on, asking a multitude of questions. He was thoroughly answering them at the same time he was speaking to her, though some scolded him about being on the phone while in class. She didn't know how he did it.

"I think this is one thing you've got me beat at." Lightning once more glanced back to the clock. Her lunch break was almost at an end, and she didn't want to return to menial tasks.

"It's not a competition." Hope scolded her lightly, "Maybe...I can help you find something better suited to yourself."

"Thanks, Hope." Lightning smiled a bit, letting out another sigh, this time only a small one.

"No problem. Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?" Hope offered, he knew that their time was finite on the phone, but he still wanted to make sure she could make it through the day.

"Don't think so." Lightning said, "Plus, don't you have a class to teach?"

"I can do a multitude of things at once, Light. I've been a researcher for over a thousand years. Well, maybe subtract those 169 with Bhunivelze." Hope hushed his voice a bit at the mention of the god. "The technological advances here aren't quite as sophisticated as Cocoon and Pulse, but it seems like a happy medium between the two."

"I'm glad you're enjoying things." Lightning could hear how thrilled he was at being able to study more.

"Sorry, I uh, go off on tangents, don't I?" Hope asked, "We were talking about you, but I made it about me."

"It's fine." Lightning heard her coworkers start to return, and instantly felt smothered again. "I have to go now, Hope. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"No problem, Light. Oh, and remember that reporter I mentioned earlier? She still wants to speak with you, if at all possible. Don't worry, I didn't tell her where you are. That's your business, and I wouldn't dream of interfering."

"Thank you, Hope." Lightning hung up, and prepared to be grilled by her boss for whatever else he demanded. Why couldn't she have had someone like Amodar as her superior? Maybe it had been far too much wishful thinking on her part.

"Farron." three gentle knocks came at her cubicle, Lightning nodded and stared at one of her coworkers.

"Yes?" Lightning waited patiently for a response.

"The boss wants to see you."

Maybe it was fate. Lightning stood and walked directly to his office, bypassing more coworkers that shot her semi-sympathetic glances. That could only mean one thing; whatever she was being called into his office for, was definitely not good. She wouldn't be sad to walk away from this job, it was more unnecessary stress that Lightning could do without. If it weren't for the fact that Hope got her these dead-end office jobs, she'd give them one look over, and walk away. Maybe it was strange, that after 500 years of sleeping in crystal, and waiting patiently for the day that she and Serah could be together again- she couldn't make it through a singular office day. Knocking softly on his door, she waited.

"Come in."

Lightning twisted the doorknob and walked inside, closing it promptly behind her. "Sir?" she stood as tall as possible, using experience garnered from her Guardian Core days.

"Farron I'm guessing you know _why_ you've been called in here?" the man at the desk looked expectantly at her.

"No sir." Lightning shook her head.

"The quality of work you've been producing up until now has been..."

Lightning braced herself to hear that she had been doing a subpar job. And that maybe, she was being fired from the corporation. That wouldn't be such a big deal- considering she was going to quit, anyway.

"...phenomenal."

Lightning's eyes widened a bit in surprise at his statement, her mouth even parted ever so slightly. "Sir...there's something I've been meaning to speak with you about, for a while now."

"And that would be?"

"Sir, I don't...I don't think that this job is the right one for me." Lightning averted her eyes for a moment, before making complete eye contact with her boss.

"Well..I'm sorry to hear that, Farron." he paused, "Because I was going to put you up for a promotion."

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to...respectfully turn it down." Lightning did her best to offer a small, kind smile.

"It's a shame to see all of that talent go to waste." he didn't seem pleased with her choice, but undoubtedly understood it.

"I'm still...searching for a place, in this world." Lightning spoke truthfully, "I don't know where I'll find myself, from here. And, I'm not sure if I'll ever find that something I'm searching for. But I won't know if I don't try."

"We'll be sad to see you go."

"Sorry." Lightning couldn't help but to apologize. And just like that, she severed ties from yet another corporation. Maybe he hadn't hated her, like she initially thought. But it wasn't as if he was a drill sergeant, how was she supposed to know that he was being an ass to motivate her further? Checking the time on her phone, she knew Hope still wouldn't be done with his lectures for another hour or so. More often than not, his students stayed behind and questioned him for a good chunk of time.

Sighing to herself, she resolved to go and see him. That is to say, she wasn't about to barge into his classroom and disturb his lesson plan, but an unannounced visit to his apartment might do the trick. What was a couple hour train ride? Making her way to the station, she paid for a ticket and waited patiently. Having to wait half an hour before boarding was a bit of a pain, considering she'd be on for two hours. She took a window seat at the back of the train, mainly so nobody would sit next to her. Glancing out the window, she recounted the last time she'd been on one of these.

It was one of the days that would link the "chosen six" l'Cie. The dark days of the Purge, where she tried in vain to save Serah. Dragging down Sazh with her, vividly remembering the fight they had with that mechanical monstrosity. But the fighting didn't just stop there, they were swarmed with PsiCom personnel the whole way through. Finding Serah, fighting the fal'Cie Anima, falling to the crystallized lake Bresha below. Maybe they survived the fall because of being marked. Pulse himself had personally seen to it that they were made l'Cie. Ganging up on Hope, for blaming Serah on their troubles.

Though she may not have liked it, Hope had helped her to grow. Every step of the way, she fought him trying to follow her. In the back of her mind it was "for his own good", but in actuality, she had lots of doubts. On whether or not she could keep him safe, and her worry mistranslated as annoyance/frustration. If Hope had died, she couldn't have dealt with that on her conscience. That would have been a sin, never to be washed clean. Odin had reinforced her insecurities, closing her eyes, she heard herself getting to her very limits of frustration. _You wanna get tough? Do it on your own!_ When her Eidolon had summoned, Odin must have mistaken Hope for her, because he tried to kill the boy. If she hadn't dove out of the circle...then all of it could have been avoided. Thankfully, she made it to Hope in time.

One thing she'd never regret, is becoming a l'Cie. It helped her to regain her humanity. Through Hope, Snow, and the others. She'd been so cold, for so long.

Snapping out of her thoughts, the train had finally reached its destination. Standing up, she quickly made her way to the exit, bypassing many other passengers. Checking her phone, Hope would just be wrapping up his lecture. Now it was just a race of who could make their way to his apartment fast enough. This was something at the very least she wouldn't lose to him over- she wasn't called "Lightning" for nothing. Walking out of the station, she tried to hail a cab. To her annoyance, none of them decided to stop. Calling one wouldn't make any bit of a difference, the city was always so busy, and cab drivers were all so snobbish. Fed up with her efforts not turning out, she took off her high heels and decided to run there. People gawked at her, but she didn't care.

If she wasn't wearing such a restrictive skirt, then she would have been able to close the distance that much faster. There was only a few more blocks left, and it was safe to say that her pantyhose were ruined. Not that it really mattered, she never liked the tedious things, anyway. Her phone vibrated, it was most likely Hope. She tried to hold off from answering until she made it to his place, but she could tell it was on the final ring. Pulling it out of her pocket, she hit the "answer" button.

"Light?" sure enough, it was Hopes voice on the other end. She didn't have enough time to check who it was calling her, but it was refreshing to hear his voice again.

"Hey." Lightning was a little out of breath, but atleast she'd finally made it to his apartment complex.

"You okay? You sound...out of breath." Hope sounded concerned about her. In the background she could hear the busy sounds of cars honking, people talking, and the beeping of a crosswalk.

"I'm fine." Lightning managed to catch her breath and talk normally. "I quit my job."

"I thought so." Hope laughed a little bit, "So, what are you doing now? Sounds a little busy, wherever you are."

"Nothing. Well, actually, I'm waiting for someone."

"Yeah? And who might that be?"

"It's a surprise." Lightning said coyly, leaning against the entrance of his apartment. She glanced around to see if Hope was near, but she couldn't spot him.

"Is that so?" Hope smiled softly upon seeing the pink haired woman.

"Yeah, it is."

"Well, seeing as we won't be needing this to speak anymore, it's safe to say we can hang up." Hope took his phone away from the side of his face, hanging his up.

"You're late." Lightning said smoothly, looking over at the silver haired male.

"I got caught up in my lesson plan." Hope shrugged his shoulders gently, offering an apologetic smile. "I also ran an errand. We can't all have spare time to run around, you know?"

"How do you do that?" Lightning asked, as he unlocked the front door to the complex.

"Do what, exactly?" Hope asked, glancing over at Lightning while he held the door open for her.

"Know when I'm coming by." Lightning said, walking past him.

"Call it...intuition." Hope shrugged again, opening the door to his apartment, again waiting for Lightning to go in first.

"Quite the gentleman." Lightning walked into his apartment, glancing around to see if anything on the inside had changed. Hope liked to live a simplified home life. He mainly only had the basics when it came to living, probably due to the fact that he was rarely ever home. Pictures of Bartholomew, Nora and himself littered the apartment. Even the odd one of Fang, Vanille, Sazh, Dajh, Snow, Serah, Noel, Yeul and himself.

"The group got together, and took that one." Hope explained, seeing how interested she was in the picture. "We all wished you could be there, Light, but you were busy. And, well, I know you're still trying to find your place in this world." Hope smiled fondly at the picture, it was a good memory to have had.

"It's strange, isn't it?" Lightning asked, no longer staring at the picture. Turning her attention to Hope, "Out of all of them, you're the only one I don't avoid."

"You're not avoiding anyone, Light." Hope shook his head, "If you're not ready to see them, then it's just not the right time. Forcing yourself into doing things the way you think others want you behave isn't good. You won't be happy if you don't go at your own pace."

"When did you get so deep?" Lightning asked, smiling a bit.

"When you disappeared for a couple centuries." Hope smiled back at her.

"I did that alot, didn't I?" Lightning asked.

"Yes, but you didn't have a choice."

"That's not exactly true. There's always a choice. I just..happened to pick the 'right' one." Lightning said, cutting herself off. "So, what's in the bag?"

"Dinner and, well, drinks." Hope said, lifting it up and showing her.

"Store bought sushi and alcohol. You're a man of refined taste." Lightning raised a brow at the odd dinner.

"When you work late office hours, you tend to...not have the time to make your own meals, and as such...you go for the easy things." Hope explained, his cheeks a light pink.

"I get it." Lightning nodded, "It is pretty late." she walked into his living room, discovering it to be a disaster. Trays of convenience store dinners, empty drink cans littering the table.

"Something I've been meaning to do..." Hope said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I don't really have the time for cleaning, so, it's one of those things I've been putting off."

Lightning shook her head, "Even when I worked in the Guardian Core Bodhum security regiment I still found the time to keep a tidy home." she just couldn't stand a mess. Picking up a few stray cans, she tossed them into the garbage.

"You don't have to do that." Hope felt a bit flustered that she'd barely been in his apartment 5 minutes and already began to tidy it up.

"It's in the way." Lightning shrugged, tidying up the rest of the mess. Once finished, she sat on the couch, staring at the dusty television in front of her. Why he had something that he'd only neglect, she didn't understand exactly.

"Thank you." Hope was still clearly flustered at having her clean up his place. She was very thorough about it, too. Placing his bag on the coffee table, he brought out two trays, sliding one in front of Lightning. He also placed a can of beer in front of her.

"What's the occasion?" Lightning asked.

"A visit from an old friend." Hope smiled.

"So, do you have any actual food in this place, or are we stuck with the boxed sushi?" Lightning stared down at the barely edible food. It wasn't her kind of thing, and though she may not have been as good as Serah in the kitchen, she'd still be able to cook something better than this.

"Unfortunately, yeah." Hope nodded, "Sorry."

"It's fine." Lightning shrugged, "Thanks." she cracked open her can and sipped it. Maybe the alcohol could dull her senses enough to eat the sushi.

"No problem." Hope followed suit with her, eating a few select pieces at first.

"How do you eat this stuff?" Lightning asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Don't like it, huh?" Hope chuckled a bit at her. "It's kind of one of those things you just..get used to."

"That sounds terrible." Lightning took a large drink from her beer. She couldn't tell what was upsetting her stomach more, the sushi or the beer. It tasted like dead yeast, and she couldn't stand it.

"When you're barely home, you don't really have the time for tidying things up, cooking for yourself...you just kinda focus all of your time and efforts into work. What little energy you have left, is put into sleeping." Hope explained.

"It sounds very...thrilling." Lightning said as she finished her beer. Grabbing another one, she ate more of her sushi.

"If it's your niche, then yeah, it is. It's not the life for everyone, but I love making new discoveries. Furthering my knowledge of the known world, and if I can somehow help future generations, then all the better." Hope sounded very enthusiastic, while speaking about his drive behind being a scientist for centuries.

After her Guardian Core days, being a Knight of Etro, and the Savior, what was left, for Lightning to do? All of her days after that, were dull. There wasn't any large scale threat for her to deal with. Just more...office days, and isolation. Thinking about her future only seemed mildly depressing. "That's a good reason." Lightning conceded.

"I like to think so." Hope nodded, "What about you, Light? What are you going to do?"

"I have no idea." Lightning shook her head, what was there for her to do?

"What makes you happy?" Hope asked, looking over at her. His green eyes stared into her blue, a hint of concern and intrigue in his.

"Currently?" Lightning asked. Hope nodded, "You."

Hope choked on the drink he'd been taking, grabbing a napkin and wiping himself off. "Me?"

Lightning laughed at him a bit, "Yeah, you. Why, is there something wrong with that?"

"N-not really..no. There's..nothing wrong with it. I'm glad that I can do something to help you, Light." Hope smiled sheepishly, averting his eyes from hers.

"You've always been helping me." Lightning said, seeing the surprise on his face, she decided to explain. "Back then, on Cocoon, you helped me. You showed me that I was being too rash and careless. Going through the motions, when I should have seen things for the way they really were. And again, when I was the Savior. I was ready..to give up, and stay behind, if it meant I could contain Bhunivelze. Even if we were going to fight for eternity, if it meant you could be safe, that would be my fate."

"It wouldn't be living, if you weren't here, Light." Hope placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling softly.

"Yeah, and why's that? Everyone seemed to get along just fine, without me." Lightning wasn't so sure that it mattered if she were here, or not. Life goes on.

"That's not true, not one bit Light." Hope shook his head, grabbing her hand, "You know, we all did survive, without you, but it was hard. And even though you weren't physically with us, all of us, somehow felt as if you were there. Your strength...made us all want to be stronger, too. I was happy, when I found out that you were still alive, and not dead like we'd all been deceived. The thought that you could be alive, also gave me the drive to find out if I could bring back Nora, as well. You opened up so many more possibilities for our futures, that all of us could believe in a better tomorrow. The world literally went to Chaos without you, Light. We needed you then, and we need you now."

"You wanted your mother back, so bad...and you were willing to sacrifice a life here, just for a chance that you could save mine." Lightning was moved by what he had to say about needing her, maybe that was true. Even now, they still watched each others backs.

"What good would a whole life be, if I knew in the back of my mind that I let someone so important to me stay behind? I wouldn't feel a moments rest, or happiness, knowing what you gave up, so we could live. While it may be true we could have all met oblivion on that day, but at least we'd have done so together. You changed our fates, all of them...so why couldn't we change yours?" Hope asked, smiling at Lightning.

"I never...properly thanked you for that, did I?" Lightning asked.

"No thanks needed, Light. You'd have done the same for us, it was the least we could do." Hope took a sip of his drink, before turning his attention back to her.

Maybe it was the 'liquid courage' they'd been drinking, because Lightning leaned in closer to Hope, her eyes studying him as she did so.

"L-Light?" Hope asked, swallowing nervously.

Lightning closed the small amount of distance between them, planting her lips on his. His hand squeezed hers a bit, and she could feel him tense up. Hope spoke a muddled word, and Lightning took his opens lips as an invitation. Their teeth knocked against each other, causing only mild discomfort for either adult. Eventually, they found a happy medium, each progressively becoming a little better in their efforts. Hope gradually began to relax, his grip loosening up on her hand, and his body became less stiff.

"Thank you." Lightning said as she pulled back from Hope, going back to her seat.

"U-Uh...yeah.." Hope was trying to think, but after what had just happened, he was having an understandable amount of trouble. "Light...what was that for?"

"You didn't like it?" Lightning asked.

"No...I mean, yes...it wasn't...unpleasant." Hope clarified, he could feel his cheeks burning.

"Well, if you didn't enjoy yourself, then I won't do it again." Lightning stood up, walking past him. She only stopped when she felt him grab her sleeve. Turning to look at him, moderately puzzled.

"I...enjoyed it." Hope stood up, "So, please don't go."

"I wasn't leaving, Hope." Lightning laughed a little bit, "I was..going to the bathroom."

"Oh." Hope released her sleeve, once more feeling embarrassed. "Sorry."

"Don't be." Lightning shrugged, going down the hall to the bathroom.

Hope sat back down, feeling more flustered than anything. What was he going to do, now? Was it a thing that only occurred due to her current state? If so, did he just completely take advantage of Lightning? There was so many ethical quandaries over what had just happened between the two of them, and by now he was analyzing all of them. Anxiously waiting for her to come out of that bathroom, and perhaps say what had just happened was a total and utter mistake. His nerves were shot, and he found himself drinking alot more alcohol. Even going so far as to open a new one by the time she came back out.

"You look like you have something heavy on your mind." Lightning commented, sitting back on the couch.

"What does this all mean, Light?" Hope asked, looking over at her.

"What do you want it to mean?" Lightning countered his question with her own.

"I..I just..don't want to ruin our friendship, is all." Hope said, in the back of his mind, that was all he was worrying over.

"Who says this has to ruin anything, Hope?" Lightning asked, "If you don't like it, then tell me, because like I said, it will never happen again. Nothing will change, not if we don't let it."

"But it's different, now." Hope couldn't help but to feel that way.

"It is." Lightning nodded, "If you need time to think- I'll go home."

"It's too late for that." Hope pointed to the clock, "No trains run at this time. And..I don't want you to leave."

"I'm not drunk..if that's what you think the problem is." Lightning offered.

"If you're not drunk, then why all of the sudden..?"

"I don't know." Lightning shook her head, "It was just a spur of the moment thing."

"You certainly did pick the moment..." Hope said a little uneasily.

"It's late." Lightning glanced at the clock again, "How about...we go to bed?"

"Sure." Hope wasn't sure that he could sleep, though.

"Come on." Lightning grabbed his hand, and helped him up. When he stared at her with a questioning look, she just smiled. His hand squeezed hers again, she could feel him begin to tense up once more. Leading him into his own bedroom, she shut the door behind them. "Tell me, if you get uncomfortable." she said sternly.

"O-Okay." Hope stammered, Lightning sat him down on the bed, and once more began to kiss him. It was so hard for Hope to focus, there was so much going on, all at once. Before he noticed it, Lightning was unbuttoning his shirt, and he was working on her blouse. His heart was pounding so fast that he swore it was going to tear itself out of his chest, even though it was a physical impossibility. Hope's breathing hitched the moment Lightning began to straddle him. "H-have you ever...?"

That question lingered in the air between them for what felt like an eternity. "No." Lightning shook her head, "Have you?"

"No." Hope shook his head.

"Then I guess we'll both be surprised by the experience." Lightning stood off of him, pulling off her skirt, shuffling out of her pantyhose and stepping back over to Hope. She loosened his belt buckle, unbuttoned his jeans, and slid them off. Hope's arousal was apparent in his boxers, though his face told a different story. He seemed anxious, and she'd be lying if she said she felt any different. For over a thousand years, the two of them had been friends. And, now they were crossing a very dangerous boundary that so few were able to come back from, it was terrifying. But at this point, everything that happened, was instinctual between Hope and Lightning.

In the aftermath of it all, his heart was still pounding. "Light."

"Hope?"

"What happens, next?" Hope asked.

"We sleep." Lightning said sleepily.

"And after that?" Hope was full of questions, ones that she couldn't seem to quell away, no matter the answers given. He honestly had no idea how Lightning was being so cavalier about it all. He wished he could be the same way, but it didn't seem his mind was ever really going to be at ease.

"We'll just have to wait...and see." Lightning nuzzled herself closer to his chest.

"Okay." Hope held her a little more tightly, kissing her forehead. Shutting his eyes, he willed himself to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning wasn't some big cliche of Lightning waking up to Hope's green eyes staring at her with a big smile on his face. He was sleeping soundly, still having a firm hold over her as he did so. Slowly and as gentle as she could manage, Lightning freed herself from his grasp and started to get off the mattress. The springs creaked a bit, and with every disturbance she gazed over at Hope, to make sure he was still asleep. Thankfully, he wasn't much of a light sleeper.

Grabbing her clothes, she made her way to the door, twisting the knob slowly and pulling it open. Shutting it behind her, she made her way to Hope's bathroom. She placed her clothes on the counter, turned on the shower and climbed in. The hot water felt nice, and she welcomed the feeling of cleanliness. Looking around his shower, she found what she was looking for; soap and shampoo. Picking up the bottle of shampoo she flicked open the top and took in the scent. It smelled just like Hope. Well, maybe that was obvious. Putting a small amount in the palm of her hands, she placed the bottle down and lathered the liquid in her hands. Thoroughly cleaning her hair, she moved on to his soap.

It too had a very nice scent. Running the bar beneath the shower head, she lathered the soap on her hands. Every move she made to clean her body, only invoked a memory of the previous night. Her and Hope. Maybe she'd been too forceful when it came to yesterday. If she made him do something that he didn't want to do, then how could she bring it up? Give him some form of apology? Sighing to herself, she shut off the water and climbed out of the shower. Lightning inspected herself in the mirror, while drying herself off. She didn't remember being on the receiving end for a hickey. Well, at least her blouse would be able to hide it.

Lightning buttoned it up to the top, slipped on her jacket, and fixed herself up proper enough to go outside. She opened the bathroom door, and checked to see if Hope had gotten up yet. Since he was still asleep, she decided to slip out and grab a few things. Lightning grabbed his keys from the coffee table and promptly left his apartment complex. If she was quick enough, he wouldn't get up and be worried over something like her 'running off' before they could have a proper talk about what had happened. It seemed like a typical Hope thing to do. Over analyze the situation, complicate things a bit.

Her phone buzzed, and Lightning wondered if it was Hope. Pulling it out of her pocket, she was pleasantly surprised to see Serah had been the one calling. Hitting "answer" she waited for Serah to talk first.

"Lightning?" Serah asked, waiting patiently for her sister to respond.

"Serah...it's good to hear your voice." Lightning smiled, walking to the store while she spoke.

"How are things going with you? I've been...wanting to visit you, you know? Snow, Fang, Vanille, the whole gang. We all really miss you." Serah understandably sounded a bit sad. It was evident that she missed her big sister, after not seeing her for so long.

"The big idiot isn't all the company you need?" Lightning joked, trying to keep things a little lighter between the two of them. She didn't want her sister to feel like she wasn't welcome, it was just that Lightning felt like she needed the space. For now, all she had was Hope to keep herself company, and that had been enough. Maybe it was a bit 'lonely' not seeing her only family. But after being dead for 500 years, Serah deserved to live her life, and not waste another second on Lightning. It could have been rehashed guilt over her having a hand in Serah's death that made her stay away, but she couldn't say for certain.

"Hey! I heard that, you know?" Snow called in the distant background.

"Snow says 'hi'." Serah laughed a little bit, "You know it's not like that, Lightning. If it's not too much trouble, we should have a get together sometime."

"Count on it." Lightning agreed, "I don't know when, but I'll find the time."

"Is that a promise?" Serah asked, waiting for Lightning to answer.

"Of course it is." Lightning finally made it to the store, grabbing a basket and grabbing all of the basic necessities Hope had somehow learned to live without. She wouldn't survive another meal of boxed store sushi- Lightning immediately stocked up on fresh produce, moving on to spices and other things she deemed 'necessary'. Back at his home, she saw that he drank canned forms of coffee, so she stocked up on those, as well.

"Then it's settled! And if you don't drop by soon, then I guess we'll all just have to hunt you down then, won't we?" Serah sounded much more chipper and excited at the premise of Lightning coming.

"I hear that's a pretty hard task to accomplish, these days." Lightning joked, getting in line at the grocery store to pay.

"I believe it!" Serah laughed, "That reporter is still looking for you, you know? She said if we get any contact, to pass along the news her way. She's already met Caius, Yeul, and everyone here on Earth. Why won't you just meet with her, Lightning?"

"Because it's...not my spotlight to step into." Lightning explained, "So long as everyone can live in peace in this world, despoiled of Gods, fal'Cie, purges, then what more could I hope for? And, as long as you're in this world, smiling, happy and living your life, Serah, I have all that I want. 500 years, I waited for the day that I could make our promise come true." she kept her voice moderately low, so as not to spook the other patrons of the store. Not everyone was so accepting of the idea behind magic, Eidolons, Fal'Cie, l'Cie, and her being the savior. In this world, humans had many different beliefs on what happened in the afterlife. They hated the ideas behind Etro, Pulse, Lindzei, Bhunivelze and their rule over humanity. The Goddess...had faded away to oblivion, killed in her eternal slumber by Noel Kreiss, and extension- herself.

"And I want to see my sister, again." Serah chided gently, "The one who gave me this great life to live."

"Soon." Lightning tried to assure her this time, paying for the items she'd gathered.

"Okay, okay. If you say you're coming...then I believe you. I'll stop badgering you- for now." Serah joked.

"I taught you well." Lightning commented, making her way out of the store, and back to Hope's apartment.

"Yeah, you did." Serah agreed. "Where are you, right now Lightning? It sounds...busy."

"It is." Lightning agreed, "People all over the place, cars honking...it's quite the city life. I'm visiting someone."

"Is it...someone I know?" Serah questioned, suddenly sounded more intrigued to pry into Lightning's private life.

"Who could say?" Lightning said cryptically, she knew it was drive Serah crazy on some level. "You can't get into all of my secrets, you know? I'm a very busy woman these days, Serah."

"That's no fair!" Lightning could almost hear the pout on Serah's face. "Is it a boy? Are you meeting a guy?"

"Lightning? A guy?" Snow snorted.

"Snow!" Serah scolded him, and he immediately apologized.

"As a matter of fact, it is." Lightning enjoyed the silence ensuing after her confirmation of it being a guy she was seeing. Serah and Snow must have been shocked to hear that she was meeting with anyone, let alone a male. Serah attempted to say something, but Lightning cut her short. "I have to go now, bye." Using Hope's keys, she went back inside, putting the bags on his table.

"I thought you'd left." startled, Lightning jumped a bit, turning to face Hope, she could see that he'd been stressed over her.

"Is that what you think of me?" Lightning asked, "That I'd just..pull a stunt like last night, run off, then leave you to fall to pieces?"

"No..I don't think so lowly of you, Light. I just..." Hope trailed off, looking hurt and down to the ground.

Lightning closed the space between the two of them and hugged him. She felt him instantly return the gesture, his arms firmly wrapped tight around her. Hope was shaking a bit. "I'm sorry that I put you through so much."

"I was scared." Hope admitted, his voice shaky. "Scared that we did mess things up, that I...I somehow, what with yesterday...our friendship..."

"I told you that wasn't a possibility." Lightning scolded him, smiling up at the gray haired male. She could see tears welling up in his eyes, and instantly felt bad.

"I was so scared, Light." Hope held her a bit tighter.

"That wasn't my intention. I'm sorry." Lightning had never seen him this way, save for when speaking of his formerly deceased mother, Nora. "Do you...have to work today?" if she interfered with his day to day life, she didn't know what there was to do. Apologizing didn't seem to be enough.

"I called in sick."

At that, Lightnings heart sank. "We need to talk, don't we?"

"I think so." Hope was speaking so softly that it broke her heart.

"Hope...go and have a shower, get dressed in a new set of clothes, breakfast will be ready by the time you get out. I'll be here, waiting for you, I promise, okay?" Lightning tried to pull back, but he still had a firm hold on her.

"...okay." Hope said after a few minutes, Slowly, he let go of Lightning, turning to walk down the hallway. Stopping in the middle to turn and look back at her.

"Go, get ready." Lightning smiled at him, turning to the task at hand. She heard Hope walk down the hallway and the door of the bathroom close. It was a good sign. He'd have a good chance to calm down, while she prepared their meal. It wouldn't be anything special, just a simple breakfast of eggs, toast and fruit. Well, that with his canned coffee to drink. Kind of odd that they sold it either hot or cold. In either case, she heard the shower running, and swiftly cooked their meal. Cutting up an apple, she split it up between the two of them. Lightning put away the rest of the groceries she'd gotten, placed both plates on the coffee table, and sat down in wait.

Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was 9 in the morning. Every second that ticked by felt like an eternity.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Lightning stole a glance at Hope. He wasn't dressed in new clothes yet, just a towel hung loosely around his hips. Sheepishly, she looked away, pretending to have been eating.

"Like what you see?" Hope joked dryly, walking to his room.

"Sorry." Lightning felt ashamed at having been caught.

"Nothing you haven't seen before." Hope chided her, disappearing into his room for a few minutes. He came out fully clothed, sitting on the couch next to her.

"I guess so." Lightning agreed, "Hope...do you want to start?"

"What are we...now?" Hope asked, "That's the one thing...that I really think I need to know." he knew in the back of his mind that no matter what, they could never go back to just being the way that they were before. Even if Lightning said nothing would be different if they didn't let it, yesterday changed everything.

"What do you want us to be?" Lightning asked, he seemed really anxious. And she'd be lying if she said she felt any differently.

"After..after what happened yesterday, I think it's safe to say we're 'more than friends'. But..are we in a relationship? Or was this just a one time thing?" Hope looked at her, anxiously.

"You're asking if I'm going to be your...girlfriend?" Lightning asked, "You want to be my boyfriend?"

"You kind of avoided the question, Light." Hope noticed her being evasive in his questioning. Trying to change the subject, as much as possible.

"I'm not." Lightning shook her head, "I mean, you want us to talk about things.. and if we were dating, then it wouldn't have to be the end of..what happened last night, right?"

"I suppose so." Hope nodded in agreement, "So, what is this...between us?"

Lightning let the question linger in the air, thinking it over, herself. What was it, now? Hope still at her, not saying a word. Was it because he knew that she was thinking it over? Or was he just being polite? "Complicated." that was the easiest way of putting it.

"Complicated, huh?" Hope spoke the word as if he'd never said it before. "I'm not sure if I could live with it being just at that."

"Neither could I." Lightning said honestly, sighing a bit, she leaned her head on his shoulder. "You keep asking me what it is, that I want. But what is it that you want, Hope?"

"Someone that I love, and care about in my everyday life...to do things like this, with." Hope said honestly, staring down at Lightning, then gazing out his window "To sit, talk with, enjoy the simple things in life. That I could wake up next to, in the mornings. Someone that could help to balance me out, in my everyday life. Help me to enjoy things that I may overlook, and leave behind due to my overly complicated life-style." he paused, "I'm not saying that it'll be perfect...because there's lots of room for error, and that it may fail-" swallowing nervously, Hope looked at Lightning. "-will you...be my girlfriend?"

"Yes." Lightning didn't hesitate for a moment. His explanation said it all, what else could she say? He wanted the same things in life that she did.

"Really?" Hope couldn't help but to sound excited at her answer. When she nodded, a grin quickly spread across his face. He caught her off guard, giving her a small peck on the lips, hugging her tightly. "Thank you."

Lightning laughed a bit at his antics. "What a strange thing to say."

"What else could I say, Light?" Hope felt as if a little while ago he hadn't been a nervous wreck. That he hadn't cried in his kitchen, broken down a bit over the possibility of having lost Lightning.

Lightning shrugged her shoulders, "And I'll say this right now; don't go blabbing about all of this to anyone. _Including_ Serah."

"What makes you think I'd tell Serah?" Hope asked innocently.

"Because I know the two of you talk. She mentions it every other time she calls. And that big idiot of hers, Snow will blab to the others, then, before I know it, I have Fang, Vanille and Sazh all trying to hunt me down and ask a million questions. I don't need people prying into my personal life." Lightning remained adamant in the fact that he not tell a soul.

"You really think Serah would tell Snow?" Hope asked, "I promise, I won't tell, okay?"

"He'd probably overhear it in the background." Lightning sighed, "Thank you."

"One of these days, if you wouldn't mind...Light, would you like to meet my mother, Nora?" Hope obviously felt anxious, as he was fiddling with his hands while asking the question.

"Sure." Lightning nodded, "She's the only parent of yours I haven't had the pleasure of meeting, yet. When were you thinking of making a get together?" she neglected to mention the fact about visiting Serah. It would probably be something for her to do in the next week or so.

"Mom and Dad invited me over for a dinner on the weekend, how about then?"

"Sounds great."

"I'll let them know that for once, I'll actually have someone coming with me for a change."

"So, I'm the first one to come over and meet the family? Lucky me."

"Well, yeah. I thought we went over this...yesterday." Hope was getting flustered all over again.

"I guess we did." Lightning nodded, "It's too bad our parents weren't here. I know my dad would probably like to meet you. Our mother would also probably end up liking you alot."

"What was he like...your father?" Hope always wondered about it, but Lightning never really mentioned him or wanted to speak of the long dead man.

"He was...like Snow, really." Lightning had a bitter-sweet smile. "It's...one of the reasons I was so angry at Snow, during our time as l'Cie. It was just misdirected rage, at our father. It wasn't either of their fault why I was angry. He just..left us at so young an age, our mother too was gone, and I was left alone to take care of Serah. Our parents were dead, and I didn't have a choice...he was the reason I ended up joining the military, and by extension, Guardian Core."

"He sounds like a great man." Hope could see how fondly she spoke of him.

"I think he'd scold me, if I were to tell him the story of how we met. Tell him exactly what I said when Odin was summoned, just before he tried to cleave your head off."

"Oh, that story..." Hope laughed, "That's a keeper, for sure. I was scared out of my wits, then everyone decided to attack that fal'Cie, Anima. All of us getting marked, our lives never really being the same."

"We wouldn't be here today, if we all didn't receive that mark. It bound our fates, and gave us all a new family." Lightning recalled the time Vanille and Fang fought Hecatoncheir, and how she had remarked to the younger girl that they had a new family. It was an idea they had to hold onto, when stumbling into the ghost town of Oerba. Vanille's usual calm, collected and bubbly demeanor changed to one of despair and sadness. Fang looked shaken up, but trying to hold it together for Vanille's sake.

"You guys were my drive behind my studies." Hope nodded, "I think..in some ways, we all helped each other to grow. In our journey, we were all missing something, people who weren't really living. That thing we were searching for, was something beyond the simplified bonds of 'family' or 'companionship' we wanted people...to care for, and accept us for who we really are. If it weren't for you, Lightning, then I don't think I would be here, today."

"If it weren't for you...I never would have learned patience." Lightning teased him.

"I really made you slow your pace down, didn't I?" Hope smiled.

"Are you kidding? I could have been there a day earlier, if you hadn't fallen asleep on me. Not to mention the whole Pulse robot fiasco. You're lucky to not have fallen into the Vile Peaks- oh, and with that other robot, in the caves on Pulse." Lightning folded her arms, giving him a stern look.

"Alright, I'll admit it- I didn't make things easy for you. But it still got rid of those robots, and that fal'Cie was brought to a halt by them saving me. So, I think I kind of helped as much as I hindered." Hope pointed out, smiling innocently at her look.

Lightning was about to say more, but ringing interrupted their conversation. Both of them checked their phones, Hope because he thought it may be work, and Lightning because it may Serah.

"I have to take this, excuse me, Light." Hope answered his phone and stepped out onto his balcony.

Relieved, Lightning answered her own phone. Sighing, she spoke first, "Hey, Serah."

"I'm fine, Mom. You don't have to worry-" Hope tried to be assuring, but Nora wasn't buying it.

"I'm just worried about you! You're not working today, and I thought something might be wrong. Whatever bug is big enough to keep you from work must be pretty serious. Are you sure I shouldn't swing by?" Nora was going about a mile a minute with her words, not even giving Hope the opportunity to respond.

"Something came up, but I'm okay now...starting to feel better." Hope mixed the lie in with the truth, that way he couldn't feel entirely bad about deceiving his mother. "I'll be okay, I promise. Oh, and mom...I'll be...bringing someone along, to dinner."

"What!?" Nora could barely contain her excitement over what he'd just said. "Who is it? Is it a girl? Girlfriend? A boy?"

"Mom!" Hope was embarrassed that she thought he was gay.

"Well, I'm sorry. It's just.. for so long, you didn't even show a hint of interest in dating anyone, and so I thought that...well, maybe. It isn't as if I'd love you any less if you were, you know?" Nora tried to explain herself as best as she could.

"Thank you." Hope smiled, she was still the woman he knew over a thousand years ago. "Yes, it's a girl."

"What's her name?" Nora really wanted to know, it was definitely something she could get excited over.

"A surprise." Hope laughed a bit at hearing his mothers indifference.

"Fine, if you won't tell me- then maybe I'll see if I can't get your father to drag it out of you." Nora teased.

"Dad? I don't know if he'd be up to it." Hope missed their banter, talking so casually during the day.

"So, what kind of person is this woman my baby boy is bringing home to meet his parents?"

"She's..." Hope looked inside, seeing Lightning walking around his living room, talking on her phone. "...focused, kind, strong, brave, hardworking, she always achieves the impossible, even when the odds are stacked almost entirely against her. A person that I could see myself spending the rest of my life with."

"Sounds like a special girl." Nora could hear how enthusiastically he spoke of her. "Have you told her how you feel?"

"Yes, she is...and I have. I mean, not entirely...we've only just...begun to date." Hope explained, "But I have known her for a very long time."

"I'm happy for you...to have found someone like that." Nora decided not to pry any further, though there were still many questions she had for her son.

"Thank you." Hope couldn't help but to smile, if Nora were here talking to him, he wasn't sure if he'd be red in the face or ginning stupidly. She'd probably question Lightning about every aspect of their relationship, all the while grilling him over it at the same time. This was one of the many trials one had when dealing with a doting mother.

"Just remember to bring her by for dinner." Nora reminded him.

"Of course! I'm not cancelling on you at the last minute, promise!" Hope smiled, "I have to go now, Mom. We'll talk later, alright?"

"Don't keep her waiting." Nora hung up, leaving Hope to his own devices.

"Sorry about that." Hope apologized to Lightning, seeing her just wrap up her own phone call.

"No big deal. I was busy with my own call." Lightning shrugged, "So, since I know it wasn't Serah- who called you?"

"My mother." Hope still felt excitement from his talk with Nora. "She's excited to see who will be coming with me. Probably because of the fact that I never bring anyone over."

"It'll be nice to meet her." Lightning nodded, "Must have been some talk. Does she know who I am?"

"I've...told her about you, she just doesn't know who's coming with me." Hope explained, "She doesn't know everything, but for the most part, she does know about you."

"Well, then I look forward to meeting Nora."

"I'm looking forward to it, too." Hope sat beside Lightning again, "Do you think...I mean, should we..." he trailed off.

"If you want to." Lightning guessed what he was thinking, and nodded.

"But when?" Hope asked.

"Is it something you schedule?" Lightning blinked in surprise.

"No, I guess not...I mean, some people do- so I just thought it was the norm."

"You've met some strange people." Lightning snorted.

"Maybe." Hope laughed, "Come on, let's go."

"Okay." Lightning stood up, her and Hope both walking opposite directions. She, toward his room, and he toward the front door.

"Wait- you didn't think...?" Hope blinked in surprise.

"No!" Lightning looked away from him, "I was just getting something."

"Okay..." Hope waited by the front door, embarrassed he'd been wrong in assuming she'd thought he was propositioning her.

"Let's go." Lightning put her heels on, waiting for Hope to respond.

"Uh...yeah." Hope nodded, "I'm ready." he smiled, walking out of his apartment, hand in hand with Lightning. It was so strange, yet it just felt 'right' at the same time. Maybe what happened the previous night between the two of them had just been something brewing for a very long time. And if it was, then maybe he'd been dense to their situation. Having the relationship that they did for over 1000 years, maybe it was only logical that one or both of them would have romantic feelings for the other.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you ready, Light?" Hope had finished getting ready for their visit to his parents house for at least 20 minutes, but it seemed that Lightning was having troubles on trying to find the 'right thing to wear' over there. Nora and Bartholomew wouldn't be picky over whatever articles of clothing Lightning was wearing, but no matter what he had to say on the matter, she was adamant to be looking her absolute best. He never thought anything could rattle the woman who saved the world, but clearly he was wrong.

"No!" Lightning sighed, "Why is this so hard?" she muttered under her breath. Truth be told, it was getting increasingly difficult. Should she wear a skirt, or pants? A button up shirt...? Would a dress be a better bet? Faltering in her endeavor, she sighed and tossed off yet another outfit. Lightning just decided to go simple, and elegant for the evening. Would the Estheims really care what she was wearing? At this stage in her life, she was surprised to be feeling so adolescent.

"Ready?" Hope asked, knocking on the door and shielding his eyes from getting a peek at her.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Lightning shrugged, hating the outfit she was wearing. A causal pair of jeans, loose fitting with sweater and a comfortable pair of shoes. As far as she knew, this should be able to fit for the occasion. Unless Nora had made it a very formal evening for all four of them to sit down and enjoy.

"Perfect." Hope smiled, "Come on." he wanted to try and get her out the door before she decided that there was some sort of catastrophe in her outfit immediately needing changing. Grabbing her hand gently, he led her out of his apartment, stopping only when he felt a bit of resistance. Seeing the indecision on Lightning's face, he smiled. "They won't bite, Light." Hope tried to encourage her, even giving a gentle squeeze to her hand. It seemed to coerce her a bit, but even then he wasn't sure it was enough.

"I don't think this looks right..." Lightning said, frowning.

"You look just fine! I know my mother won't mind at all! And you've met dad already, and I know he likes you- so it should all be fine! Come on, let's go." Hope tried to be assuring, this time it seemed to be working. Lightning and he walked in silence to his car, she began to fiddle with his radio, so the 20 minute drive wouldn't seem quite as long. "No luck?"

"I don't want to listen to any of this noise." Lightning shook her head, pursing her lips. Sighing of annoyance, she shut off the radio and folded her arms, sitting back in her seat.

"Yeah, that's not really my first choice, either. I enjoy more classical pieces. It stimulates certain parts of the brain, and-" Hope began to ramble, until he heard Lightning laugh a bit at him. Stopping at an intersection behind a few cars, he glanced over at her in his spare time, giving a blank look. What could possibly have been funny?

"You're lecturing me." Lightning pointed out, unable to help the laughter.

"Was I?" Hope asked, a bit embarrassed.

"Yes, you were. You like to jibber jabber about random things." Lightning couldn't help but to smile, he had some odd quirks about him, even if he didn't notice certain things. Maybe it had been a force of habit, due to his long standing career of being a scientist/teacher. Maybe he wasn't a leader of the Academy here, but Hope was already on his way for that job. No matter what world they were in, people had a hard time not recognizing his brilliance.

"Was it bothering you?" Hope asked, driving through the intersection.

"Not at all." Lightning shook her head, shrugging her shoulders. "You always have really interesting things to say. Half the time I can't even really keep up with you, but I still like to listen. You really know alot on just about everything. I can see why your students love their teacher so much. And why you have so much assistants lined up." she teased him a bit about the assistants. She'd came to see him on campus, and found out he had a female assistant, which had caused him to be flustered, when she jokingly said there could be a possibility he'd cheat on her. Seeing how flustered it was making him, Lightning continued to torture/tease until she decided he'd had enough.

"If you don't like it...I could change her out for a male assistant?" Hope offered, his fingers tensing a bit around the steering wheel.

"Why? She's a good helper to you, and I don't see any reason to get rid of her." Lightning looked out the window, watching the passing scenery. Some of it blurred, but if you made your eyes follow it correctly, then you could see the trees and grass without distortion.

"I was just...if it made you uncomfortable...then I..." Hope paused, "I...I would get rid of her." he said seriously.

Lightning was a bit surprised by that statement. "You're...really sly, you know that?" she placed her hand over his, giving it a gentle squeeze. Lightning could feel how tense his hand was, and that was her doing. He was a very anxious person, and maybe it was wrong of her to tease him. He didn't get that she was joking, most of the time- so things turned into these serious conversations. "I wasn't being serious, Hope. She can stay. You can keep her. Okay?" she made sure to say each part moderately slowly, to let him know that she wasn't angry.

"Sorry." Hope apologized, smiling, hoping that Lightning could see it.

"And why are you sorry?" Lightning asked, "I made you feel like this- it should be me apologizing."

"I don't always get your humor, which is why it often gets lost in translation, and then you have to go and spell it out for me. It ruins your fun, and I end up taking things so seriously." Hope explained, glancing at her quickly through the corner of his eye.

"Well, at least we both have to explain things to each other, I guess. But I should work on my humor if you don't get it." Lightning withdrew her hand, sitting quietly and patiently until they arrived at his parents house.

"You don't have to do that." Hope shook his head, looking over at Lightning. "Are you ready to go in?"

"Truth be told?" Lightning paused, "Fighting Bhunivelze again seems easier than this."

"You don't have to be so nervous- they're my parents, not fal'Cie!" Hope smiled, "Come on." he climbed out of the car and opened her door for her.

"Thank you." Lightning smiled, bracing herself for meeting his mother. Maybe it wouldn't have been a bad idea to talk to Snow about her, to gain some sort of information about the woman. Hope always talked so highly of Nora, but from the gossip of coworkers in this world, she always heard that the parents of the person you were dating were always from 'hell'. Trying to ruin the relationship at any cost, because they found your not worthy for their child. And while it sounded ridiculous that they'd try to split them up, as they were both adults, it was something to keep in mind. Maybe Bartholomew wouldn't approve.

Again, she found herself being led by Hope. He knocked on the door three times, before opening the door, "I'm here!" he announced.

"Hope!" Lightning heard Nora call out his name excitedly, and the ensuing footsteps of the woman. It sounded as if she was sprinting over to see her son and hug him. The woman came into view, hugging her son tightly. "Oh!" she finally noticed Lightning, "Who's your friend?" she asked, stepping back from Hope and staring at the pink haired woman with a kind smile.

"Mom-" Hope paused, "This is Lightning." he smiled, "Light, this is my mother, Nora."

"I've...heard a lot about you." Lightning was trying to steady herself, smiling at Nora.

"I've heard plenty about you, as well!" Nora smiled, "I'm only sorry that I had to wait so long to meet you! If it weren't for you...my baby boy probably wouldn't be standing here!"

"I don't think that's...true." Lightning admitted, finding herself surprised when Nora hugged her.

"Nonsense." Nora smiled, "Come on, let's go." she grabbed a hand from either one and led them in to the living room where Bartholomew waited.

"Welcome back, son." Bartholomew smiled at Hope, "Ah, I see you brought Lightning by." he remembered the woman he'd met over a thousand years ago on Cocoon. "It's nice to be seeing you again, and under...better circumstances." he stood up and hugged Hope first, then doing the same to Lightning.

"Nice to meet you again too, sir." Lightning nodded.

"It's nice to be back, dad." Hope grinned, it felt nice to be in their home. It wasn't often that he could visit, but when he did Nora always made sure to make his favorite foods.

"Lightning, would you mind helping me out in the kitchen?" Nora asked.

"Sure." Lightning wasn't adept at cooking like Serah, but she could still make good food. Following Nora, she left Hope and Bartholomew to talk. It was obvious what he got from either parent. He looked just like Nora, her eyes and hair color, Bartholomew's spiky hair, and, most likely- his intelligence. She didn't belittle Nora's, it was just that Hope's father was a very smart man, so she assumed it to be him who he inherited the trait from.

"I was a little surprised...when Hope said he was bringing someone along for dinner..." Nora trailed off a bit, tying up her apron, "But I'm glad he finally felt comfortable enough with someone to invite them over."

"He mentioned to me before, that no one ever came with him to these family gatherings." Lightning just wanted to keep the conversation going, so things wouldn't get awkward between the two of them. And the more she could learn about the woman, the easier dinner conversation could go.

"Truth be told...I was getting a little worried." Nora sighed, "I thought he'd never find someone." she admitted, looking at Lightning, "I'm glad he did."

"That bad, huh?" Lightning asked, smiling a bit at how motherly Nora was of Hope, even now.

"You don't know the half of it." Nora laughed a bit, "Do you want an apron? It'd be a shame to get those nice clothes dirty and all floury."

"Sure." Lightning nodded, taking the apron Nora offered and tying it around herself. "Where do you want me to start?"

"How about dicing some vegetables?" Nora asked, offering Lightning a chefs knife.

"That should be doable." Lightning honestly couldn't see why she'd been nervous before. Hope was right about his parents, and Lightning already had taken a liking to Nora.

"So, how long have you and Hope been together?" Nora asked, she was busy preparing dessert, and periodically looking up at Lightning so as not to be rude.

"Not very long...a week." Lightning saw that Nora was a little surprised by that.

"Really?" Nora blinked in surprise.

Lightning nodded, "It hasn't been very long."

"He must really like you, then." from the way he spoke to her privately on the phone, it sounded as if Lightning was _the_ one. Only being together for a week, and he was mapping out their future? Hope definitely felt strongly about Lightning, but did she feel the same? Part of Nora wanted to ask her right then and there, what Lightning intentions with her son were- but she couldn't. Interfering with their relationship would only make some sort of discord erupt. Hope likely wouldn't like her prodding for information, anyway.

"Did he say something?" Lightning asked, remembering his phone call with Nora a week ago. She hadn't heard it or been trying to eavesdrop, she'd been busy talking to Serah at the time. But Hope did mention his mother calling, hence the invitation to this dinner.

"I don't think I'm at liberty to say." Nora joked, "But- off the record, _yes._ " she whispered the word.

"Can you tell me _what_ he said?" Lightning asked, whispering just like Nora had been while she carefully diced vegetables.

"Sorry, it's not my place to say." Nora shook her head, smiling. "He'll tell you himself, when the time's right."

"Maybe." Lightning sighed, she wanted to know what he was telling his mother about her.

"I'm a bit surprised, seeing you here with that woman you stumbled into our house with a thousand years ago." Bartholomew commented, he could see the nervousness his son had over the situation, and was trying his best not to seem judgmental or disapproving of the matter. Truth be told, so long as Hope was happy, then what was the big deal?

"To tell you the truth...so am I." Hope admitted, sheepishly smiling at his father, "Out of everyone else...Light and I found each other first, on the new world. Then, I found out where Serah, Snow, Yeul, Noel, Sazh, Dajh, Fang and Vanille were- and I was made to keep her location a secret. Lightning wanted to see them again, but in her own time, and on her own terms. She wants to find a place in this world, and she's still searching for it. I'm trying to help her, but I'm not so sure I can say for certain if she will or won't find it."

"And you want a place with her, in this world." Bartholomew nodded in understanding. "Does she want the same with you, son?"

"For right now..." Hope paused, looking his father in the eyes, "I can say 'yes'. But in the future, who could say? I hope that Light and I will stay together, but I don't know for sure if I'm what she wants, or what she'll need."

Bartholomew stood up and walked over to Hope, sitting next to him on the couch. He slung his arm around his son's shoulder, smiling softly at Hope. "If it wasn't something that she was interested in, then I don't think she'd be here in the now, with your parents, having dinner with them. Let alone cooking with your mother in the kitchen. You are a couple, aren't you?"

"Yes." Hope could see where his father was coming with this kind of talk, but he couldn't help his insecure feelings.

"Then you have nothing to worry about. The important thing, is that you like this woman, and you give it your all to ensure she gets your side of things. She won't know, if you don't tell her. It's not fair to just assume the other person in the relationship knows everything that you're thinking. So long as you're both open and honest about your feelings, then I'm sure this relationship will thrive." Bartholomew was doing his best to make his son feel at ease. He'd never seen Hope this anxious- not since his adolescence. Especially when talking to him of Nora's death, and how he and his friends would leave as soon as possible. Like he wouldn't be welcomed within his own home.

"Thanks, dad." Hope smiled, he really appreciated the gesture. "I'll try...and I mean it, I really will. I want this to work out, and I'm willing to do anything it takes."

"You're a good man, son." Bartholomew smiled earnestly at his son, he was proud of how devoted his son was to this woman.

"I think I learned from the best." Hope didn't know what else to say. His dad was really helping the situation, and he was really thankful for it.

"I love to see how well the men in my are bonding." Nora laughed a little, seeing Hope and Bartholomew bond like this was so enjoyable. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but she had caught a few odds and ends of their conversation. "Dinner's ready." she announced.

"Come on, son." Bartholomew stood up, following Nora into the dining room. Hope followed right behind his parents, to see Lightning finishing up setting the table. It had a simple elegance to it.

"Wow mom, great spread." Hope commented.

"Lightning organized it, actually." Nora corrected her son.

Hope looked at Lightning, blinking in surprise.

"What? You seem surprised." Lightning shrugged her shoulders, "I can manage this much." she frowned playfully at Hope, taking her place beside him at the table.

Bartholomew and Nora shared a knowing look, each laughing a little bit.

"I...I'm sorry I doubted you." Hope sheepishly apologized to Lightning.

"Apology accepted." Lightning and Hope seemed to completely forget the fact that they weren't alone at the table. The two acted as if Nora and Bartholomew weren't there, not that Hope's parents had minded one bit. It was refreshing to seem them act naturally, and both were intrigued to see how their son was with her, one on one.

"We're...being rude, aren't we?" Hope asked, finally cluing in to the fact that Nora and Bartholomew were staring.

"Not at all." Nora shook her head, "Are you offended?" she asked Bartholomew.

"Not in the slightest." Bartholomew shook his head, "We're both fairly well enjoying ourselves, and it's great to see that you're both doing the same."

"Sorry." Lightning couldn't help but to apologize, "Even if you excuse our behavior- we are being rude." she paused, "Thank you both, for inviting me into your lovely home. It's an honor and a privilege to be allowed inside, on such an occasion."

"How formal." Nora smiled, "Thank you for joining us, we're happy to have you, right?" she asked Bartholomew.

"You're always welcome to come by- even if Hope isn't able to join you. I'd love to be able to learn more about you." Bartholomew made sure to sound welcoming, he meant every single word of it. Hope had filled him in on their adventures after becoming l'Cie, but there was still Lightning's side of the tale that he refused to give up. And it had him absolutely curious.

"You want to meet with Light, alone?" Hope was curious on why that was. He hadn't meant to interject before Lightning could respond to his parents, but Bartholomew had him curious.

"That's not necessarily the case, son. I just know that you have a very busy schedule to maintain, and if she were to have any sort of spare time to join your mother and I here, that she should do so if she likes the idea. That's all." Bartholomew clarified.

"I'd like that." Lightning nodded, "I think it'd be nice for us to meet like that." it wasn't that she didn't want to invite Hope along, but they'd be able to quiz her a lot better without him being there. And, maybe she'd be able to find out a few more things about Hope. It wasn't that intimacy between them was a key issue, just that Hope sometimes liked to keep things to himself. He'd always been a shy young man, and it seemed a thousand years of living didn't even dent into his personality. It was great to see that he remained the same. Of the six, she was the one to have changed the most. Because of the false Serah, and Lumina, she was able to see that Light at the end of the tunnel, and learn to say what was really on her mind.

"I'm glad you're willing to come over. Now everyone dig in." Nora started to dish up some food for herself, Bartholomew, Lightning and Hope following suit.

"What did you end up helping with, Light?" Hope asked in-between mouth fulls.

"Chew with your mouth closed and do not initiate conversation while eating." Nora scolded him.

"Sorry." Hope sheepishly apologized.

"Surprised it isn't your usual diet of boxed sushi?" Lightning teased him, "Nora did all of the cooking, I just helped a little here and there."

"Boxed sushi!?" Nora sounded outraged at that. "Are you not getting a proper diet at home? Do you want me to start meal planning for you? Because I can-"

"Mom, I'm okay." Hope didn't like the idea of her having to go through so much trouble. "I just...don't have time to do those kinds of things. My work schedule as you know is very busy, and things like cooking aren't top priorities for me. But Light's actually been helping with that...she started to cook for me."

"Oh." Nora paused for a moment, "Are you saying that you don't need my cooking, because hers is better?"

"No! That's not what I'm saying at all-" Hope tried to explain away the situation, but he noticed Lightning was also intrigued by the situation. Her heated gaze bored into the side of his head, and he instantly felt himself trapped in the situation. Bartholomew sent him a sympathetic gaze.

"So, you're saying _my_ cooking is terrible?" Lightning asked.

"No!" Hope waved his hands, shaking his head, "That's not what I'm saying at all!"

"But my cooking isn't _good_?" Lightning enjoyed tormenting him like this.

"It's very good! I haven't tried anything like it!" at that, he felt Nora now staring at him intently.

"Is that so?" it seemed both women were working in tandem to tease Hope.

"Dad...help?" Hope pleadingly looked toward his father.

"Son I think this is a problem you need to solve on your own." Bartholomew shook his head. He wasn't going to be dragged into a conflict between Nora and Lightning, it seemed like a losing battle.

Hope's head dipped down at that, he sighed heavily while trying to find a way to fix his current predicament. There was no way he could possibly 'win'. "I was just kidding." Lightning pat him gently on the shoulder, "I know I'm not that good at cooking. Serah's always been better at it than I am."

"If you want, I could show you how to make a few things Hope enjoys?" Nora offered sweetly.

"Sure! I'd love to be able to make things like this." if she could make dinners like Nora, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Hope's mouth opened, he wanted to say more, but he honestly couldn't find the words. Lightning and Nora had obviously come to an understanding in the kitchen. Jumping on his case over their abilities in cooking. Between Lightning and Nora...he didn't know how he could possibly try to choose. His mother, and his girlfriend. Hope's left hand was shaking a bit, and Lightning must have seen it, as she grabbed his with her spare right beneath the table. She shared a small, knowing look with him. Hope mouthed 'thank you' to her, to which she nodded.

Seeing Lightning smile and laugh with his parents, making their way through this dinner- it made him happy. Before he noticed it, they had made their way to dessert, and out the door.

"Come again soon." Nora said.

"We'd love to do it again." Bartholomew added.

"Count on it." Lightning nodded.

"Yeah." Hope agreed, "Bye Mom, Dad." he hugged each of his parents, he and Lightning make their way to his car. Nora and Bartholomew waved as Hope and Lightning pulled out of the driveway, both waving back.

"So...that went well." Lightning commented.

"Yeah." Hope nodded, "I just...I...didn't know if I could make it through all of that dinner conversation."

"We were just teasing." Lightning chided him gently, placing her hand over his, just like at the dinner table.

"I know." Hope sighed, "Maybe I should just try to be less sensitive about these things."

"You don't have to change. I like you, just the way you are." Lightning assured him.


	4. Chapter 4

"You're going to see Serah today? Are you sure you don't want to wait a little bit longer? That way I'd actually be able to come along with you, Light." Hope didn't know if she'd feel comfortable going on her own, or not. After not seeing Serah and Snow in person after so long, it was a given that maybe she had a bit of anxiety toward the get together they had planned.

"Yeah." Lightning nodded, "I promised her about a month ago that I was going to see her. I didn't say exactly when, but I'm ready to go now." Serah had been kept waiting long enough. "I'm fine going now. Plus, if I ended up waiting for you- who knows how much longer she'd actually end up waiting. And then Serah would end up getting Snow to hunt me down, which I'm not really up for. I don't need my brother-in-law snooping around my business. It's easier to just give her what she wants, anyway."

"I wish I could go with you- but now isn't exactly the most opportune of times." Hope sighed, "My students have exams coming up, and they'll be wanting me to host study periods after class, it's usually a time for me to review the curriculum throughout the semester thoroughly. I'm sorry that I won't be going with you."

"While I would love you helping me to turn the tide numbers wise and distract her big idiot- priorities come first. If you need to stay behind and work, then it's no big deal. Your students need you more than I need someone to come along to my sister's. It's Serah- I'm not exactly wandering into a PsiCom death trap...again." Lightning joked lightly, trying to lighten up the mood a bit.

"The Vile Peaks all over again." Hope laughed lightly, scratching the back of his head. "What time does your flight leave?"

"It leaves at 5 pm, but I have to be there at 2. They sure know how to keep a girl waiting." Lightning huffed, waiting three hours ahead of time seemed like a fine way to waste it. Transportation just seemed to be a very tedious thing to use in this world.

"It's all a part of their procedure." Hope adored her annoyed facial expression (so long as it wasn't aimed at him), "Were it not completely necessary, I'm sure that they wouldn't even bother with such a thing."

"It all just seems tedious to me." Lightning shrugged, "But I'm sure you're right. You almost always are." she sighed again, "When do you have to go?"

"Not for a little while." Hope glanced at the clock, "We still have an hour or so to ourselves before I have to go. In about half an hour I'll start to get ready."

"And you get mad at me for taking a while to get ready." Lightning snorted, smirking a bit at him. "Half an hour to get yourself ready."

"Hey I just like to be thorough!" Hope blushed lightly, embarrassed at her teasing. "And you did take over an hour for the dinner with my parents, just so you know."

"I'd never been to an occasion like that, so I didn't really know what to expect." Lightning explained, "I mean, I had coworkers from a few of my jobs always talk out loud about how 'horrifying' and somehow 'exciting' the experience could be. Men seem to totally be afraid of the subject in general, and women always seem to have mixed reviews about it. Then don't even get me started on the whole 'wedding' fiasco. If I had to hear another squealing session between women- someone of them were going to end up casualties."

"It's nice though, isn't it? A world without magic, where the simpler things in life are appreciated so much more...and you made it all possible." Hope loved learning all he could on this worlds peoples culture. Not all of them believed in Lindzei, Pulse, Etro or Bhunivelze, instead they had their own almighty version of 'God'. It caused heavy debates between the children of Etro, those who believed in the Savior, and those who believed in their God. While Hope knew that the Savior, Etro and all of that was truth, he didn't know if their God was in fact real, and it didn't matter whether or not it was true. So long as it was true to them, then what did it matter? Caius was waiting for the dead, and he had become the new god.

"Not just me." Lightning shook her head, "I...had help." she said, "Lumina...the false Serah...all of you, the Eidolons...none of you gave up on me, even when I had no soul. Without conscience, I was just going through the motions of what I was told. The perfect little Death Goddess that Bhunivelze had wanted. One that would never dare raise her sword against him. But that all changed, when you grabbed my hand." she didn't know if Hope had seen her cry, and it didn't matter whether or not he did. Those words he said on that day would never leave her mind.

"You'd have done the same for me." Hope wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.

"And give up seeing my parents, again? Are you kidding me?" Lightning feigned indifference on the matter. "Yeah, you bet. I'd save you no matter what the cost." though that part clearly went without saying. When she was the Savior, she was willing to give up living her life on the new world just to keep Bhunivelze at bay. The two of them eternally struggling in the Chaos, so that the others could know peace.

"It's strange, isn't it?" Hope paused, looking at his left hand, "Not about saving eachother...but, you know...the things that linked all of our lives and fates...are gone. And though our l'Cie brands faded away, we all never let go of eachother. While we may not have all had fantastic destinies like you- we all strove to make our way through the future, to find our own paths to a better tomorrow."

"In Valhalla I could only guide others. I had no outright influence over what mankind could do. It was frustrating..." Lightning sighed, she stood up and began pacing slowly around the room, not looking at anything in general. "I knew the frustrations of the Goddess, I could see the paths of fate as they stretched toward the horizon- and not all of them were radiant. Some were doomed existences, where mankind was completely wiped out. One thing was certain, in order for us to survive, I had to hand the torch to others. All of you were the ones that defied destiny during that time- I could only watch, and delay the inevitable death of the Goddess." Caius had planned her death, going so far as to try and murder Etro in her ethereal slumber. Little did he know that it would be a mortal who would slay her.

"Without all of you, entropy was the least of our worries. Fate tied us together, by so much more than a brand, Hope." Lightning glanced over at him, "I knew that Snow would do as I asked, especially when I spoke of Fang, Vanille and Serah. He was overjoyed to hear from me..."

"You know, other than our conversations- I don't really know how these things went." Hope glanced at the clock, time was running short, but he didn't care. This seemed like a very important topic. "What did you and Snow talk about?"

"Feats of heroism that caught his eye." Lightning smiled a bit, "Well, that's not entirely true- the big idiot rambled on to me about how he missed his 'sister-in-law', which led to me saying he didn't make an honest woman of Serah yet. And, I told him that if he didn't- then it didn't matter how or when, but I'd find my way out of Valhalla just to pummel him."

"Sounds just like the big guy." Hope laughed a bit, "I guess that's one way to make sure he stays motivated."

"We may not have the relationship we had on Cocoon anymore, but we still like to have our fun." Lightning laughed with him, "To be honest, if he still managed to not marry Serah, then he'd be learning the meaning of pain. 500 years apart, and he still keeps a girl waiting? That's not the way our little 'hero' likes to roll. Quick, fast, utterly reckless."

"Could you blame him, though? He wants his sister to be there- and if the whole family couldn't make it, then what would be the point?" Hope asked, from the sounds of things, Lightning didn't know the whole truth on Snow/Serah's relationship. While it may be true they considered themselves to be married, neither one felt it 'right' to tie the knot without Lightning being present. Not that it would stop at just Lightning's absence, they wanted everyone to be there; Noel, Yeul, Sazh, Dajh, Fang, Vanille and himself.

"I'm sorry?" Lightning blinked at his statement. "Do I need to prepare for combat?" she asked, "Because I still have plenty of time to get ready and plan accordingly."

"It's not like that Light, honest." Hope felt a bit flustered that he gave up a secret he thought she would have known ahead of time. "They just wanted to wait for a time that everyone could be there..."

"So, I'm to blame?" Lightning sighed, "Even now I somehow manage to influence the lives of others." she pursed her lips, "Life was so much easier when I could just punch him in the face- why did I ever stop doing that? Now people want some wholesome life with me by their side. How did I manage to screw up my tough army commando outlook on life?"

"It was there the whole time...you just didn't want to acknowledge it." Hope smiled, "And... you don't really want to hit Snow, do you?"

"I actually kind of do." Lightning shrugged, "My sister won't do it- so why can't I just hit him? It'd feel nice, and I feel like hitting someone, anyway."

"Well, you can't hit him." Hope chided her.

"Why not? I've done it before- and it's not like he'll actually hit me back." Lightning reminded him, thinking of the crystallized Lake Bresha.

Hope could see how this was all becoming a moot point. "Alright, if you want to hit someone- then here you go." he stood up, standing directly in front of her, making his hands into mock fists. "Come on, let's go, me and you."

Lightning looked him over, stifling a small laugh while shaking her head. "You know I can't take you."

"That's right." Hope kissed her forehead before pulling her into a hug "No street brawling with Snow when you're over there- remember, you're a guest. And I don't think you want a criminal record."

"Fine- but I'm going to flick him right when I see him." Lightning wouldn't be able to resist at least some form of physical punishment for his delayed wedding to Serah.

"I won't object to that." Hope laughed, it was far better than her wailing on him like in the past.

"I'll tell him that it's a 'Hope approved' beating." Lightning grinned, "Expect a call from Serah."

"Don't get carried away." Hope reprimanded her.

"I won't." Lightning promised, "Now, shouldn't you get ready? You have work today."

"...I can spare a few minutes." Hope looked at the clock, he still had 30 minutes before he absolutely _had_ to be at work.

"You know...we don't have to spend the rest of your time here talking. I leave a bit later, and I'm sure you'll get a break for us to have a quick call, there's texting...and I will at some point get off my plane so we can actually talk." Lightning could plainly see that he was stalling so that the two of them could spend more time together. Maybe that's why he'd brought up the past- so that she'd spout on about what had happened. It was actually pretty adorable.

"I know." Hope sighed, "It's just...well, you know- this'll be the the last time that I see you." he explained sheepishly.

"Yeah, I'm not going forever!" Lightning laughed a bit at him, "Although I can't say how long my visit with Serah is going to last. Maybe a week or so. I know that she'd hate it if I didn't minimally stay for that long."

"So why can't I enjoy these last few moments?" Hope asked, "Maybe I'll skip today just so I can spend a little while longer with you."

"We both know you wouldn't skip a day of school if your life depended on it." Lightning knew that wasn't exactly true. She was responsible for him missing a day off of work.

"I suppose your right." Hope sighed heavily, "Part of me wishes that I was- just so that I could blow off today. Well, I suppose if I was that kind of person, then I'd actually be traveling with you- rather than you going alone."

"And again, I have to say that I'm not afraid to go it alone. I think it's sweet that you want to come with me- I really do. But I think this is more a 'sister' thing, you know?" Lightning tried to assure him that it wasn't the end of the world he couldn't come, while at the same time trying to let him know it wasn't that she hated the idea of him tagging along.

"Fair enough." Hope nodded, "And what with you meeting my parents a few weeks back, I'm sure you've earned this family outing."

"Now quit stalling and go get ready." Lightning used her strict/firm tone she saved for her subordinates back in her former Guardian Core days. Folding her arms, she stared him down. He knew that time was passing them by, and she knew that every second he wasted on her could be one he spent maintaining his everyday life.

"I wasn't stalling-" Hope tried to protest, but Lightning was very adamant he go. Admitting defeat, the silver haired male dipped his head, sighed softly, smiled and nodded to the pink haired woman. He knew when he was beat- there was no point in trying to contest Lightning over such a small, trivial matter. Hope stood up and walked to the bathroom, ordinarily he'd have laid out his clothes ahead of time but this morning he was heavily distracted by her leaving. And maybe it was true that he was stalling for more time- but could she really blame him? It was only natural that you wanted to monopolize as much time as possible from the person that you liked. He knew fully well what the feeling of time standing still felt like; and it seemed like this morning had somehow mimicked that perfectly.

There was no point in wasting anymore of his allotted time. Hope quickly climbed into the shower so as to appease Lightning.

Hearing the shower go, Lightning walked into Hopes room and began sifting through his clothes. He hadn't gone through his usual morning routine, solely for the purpose of indulging her. Truth be told, she had never imagined it to be like this- she'd never imagined a relationship with Hope, at all. In her visions, she never really thought herself to be with anyone. A man was the furthest thing from her mind, there was never the time for such things. Raising Serah, joining the Guardian Core, quickly climbing through the ranks. It annoyed many of her subordinates that they had to listen to a woman, which had annoyed Amodar. Their commanding officer wouldn't hear of Lightning being degraded solely on gender. As punishment for their complete lack of faith in his judgment, he gave them the most despicable form of punishment the army had to offer.

Smiling at the memories of her former CO, she wondered where Amodar was. And if Hope had any idea where to find him. It'd be nice to meet up with him, and those squad members Serah and Noel had uncovered. Becoming a Knight of Etro, many had forgotten her...but not that squadron. They still held out hope that she may be alive somewhere. Even when everyone else doubted it. Those millions of souls birthed on the new world, she had to wonder how many were looking for vengeance. Jihl Nabaat likely could hold some contempt for the former l'Cie, as indirectly they were responsible for her death. Any members of PsiCom, Guardian Core, Eden military personnel. Maybe her tenure as the Savior cleaned the slate of hatred over such things.

Those who had died in their time as l'Cie had over a thousand years to let go of their grudges, so it was entirely possible.

Lightning pulled out a white button up shirt for Hope, deciding on a simple pair of black pants. And while he may be a bit embarrassed at the prospect of her doing it- she grabbed him a pair of underwear. It wasn't a big deal to her, but she could see him flushing a bit. Grabbing his tie, she snagged a pair of socks on her way out. Laying the clothes on the couch, she stared at the outfit. It seemed to be decent, and she couldn't see him objecting to it. Hearing the shower stop, she scooped up the clothing and waited at the door.

The doorknob twisted, and Hope stared at her in surprise. His mouth opened to say something, but he was stopped when she walked past him into the bathroom. He must have been giving her a questioning look, because Lightning took it upon herself to break the silence. "You said you're going to miss me, right? Well...I'll give you something to remember me bye."

Hope remained silent, studying her. He honestly had no idea what she meant. Everything she was saying only seemed to raise further questions for him. Lightning didn't bother to say anything more, instead shrugging her shoulders and placing his clothes on the counter beside her. Grabbing his shirt, she slowly made her intentions to him clear; she was going to dress him.

"I don't-" Hope began to object, but she stopped him with a kiss.

"Shut up and enjoy it." Lightning scolded him, she dared him to say more.

Hope just nodded, watching her curiously. Lightning touched him gently, and non-verbally 'scolded' him into shifting his body the way she needed it to be. Buttoning up her shirt, she could see him swallow nervously. Lightning gently caressed the side of his face, smiling at him. His body was tense, and she could tell that he was doing his best to be okay with the situation, so she hugged him. Hope quickly returned the gesture, he could understand why she was doing such a thing. Trying to reinforce the fact that she knew he'd be lonely without her. While he may not admit it aloud, he was happy. His hand gently went through her hair as he held her, he wanted to say 'thank you' but wasn't sure if their silence was meant to be over.

Lightning slowly pulled back, stepping out of the gesture. Grabbing his tie, she slid it around his collar and tightened it slowly, making eye contact with Hope so that she could know when it was just right. She grabbed his underwear, and instantly saw a shift in his demeanor. His hesitance made her want to laugh, but now wasn't the time. She was trying to be serious.

"I-" Hope averted his eyes, his ears had turned to the color red.

"Nothing I haven't seen before, right?" Lightning teased him, she extended her free arm to grab the towel, but Hope grabbed her arm. Finding herself caught off-guard, she was surprised when he initiated a kiss between the two of them. Somewhat replicating the way she'd held his face, he placed his hand on the side of her face.

"I'll miss you." Hope stared directly into her eyes while saying those words, their foreheads pressed together. He meant every word, and though the sentiment had hung in the air between the two of them, he finally decided to say it.

"I know- and I'll miss you, too." Lightning admitted, "But you have students to keep you busy- I bet you'll hardly notice I'm gone at all."

"Are you kidding? I'll have to go back to store-bought meals...the place will probably end up messy...it's back to a steady diet of stale, cold coffee that I've neglected for an indeterminate amount of time."

"I leave home for a few days, and look what happens." Lightning sighed, "I can't leave you knowing that you're going back to those filthy habits. I'll make some meals for you, freeze them and that way you can eat whenever. As for the coffee thing? Try to remember it."

"You don't have to go through all of that trouble." Hope didn't want her to have to fuss over him.

"I want to." Lightning shrugged, "It's no big deal on my end."

"If you're sure."

"I am." Lightning nodded, "Now finish getting ready."

"You're not going to...?" Hope didn't finish the sentence.

"You want me to dress you? You're so lewd." Lightning teased.

"I-it's not like you have to, or anything."

"I know that I don't." Lightning couldn't possibly refuse- not when he was being this way over it. Hope sometimes didn't outright say he wanted something, but she had grown accustomed to it. He was just that kind of person, and she wouldn't have him any other way. Before she knew it, she finished helping him get ready, and he looked sharp as ever for his job.

"Do you...have the time?" Hope asked.

Lightning checked her wrist, "You've still got a little time. But I think just to be on the safe side you should be on your way."

"You're usually right about these things." Hope agreed.

"Usually?" Lightning raised a brow.

" _Always_." Hope corrected himself, giving her a boyish grin, "Sorry."

"Apology accepted." Lightning laughed, "Now go. Hurry up." she wanted to make sure he wasn't late for work.

"I'm going." Hope made his way past her, grabbing his jacket from his room. "I'll see you...when you get back."

"Whenever that is." Lightning agreed, "Now go and shape new brilliant minds for the new world."

Hope nodded, and made his way out of the apartment. What more was there to say, between the two of them? Both had already done their goodbyes, and were pretty contented with them- maybe he was just being a little too possessive over Lightning. It was hard not to be, he honestly couldn't help it at all. After a month of living together, he'd also feel a bit strange not having her there every single day. He enjoyed the company, their banter, and all of the things that they did together. Even though Lightning made it a habit to try and make him embarrassed on a daily basis, he tried to take it all in stride.

Lightning began to make good on her promise. She started to recreate many of the dishes Nora had taught her how to make, trying to plan appropriate meals for Hope to be eating. Lightning still had a few hours before she had to go, but even that didn't seem like enough time to accomplish the task at hand. Cooking was honestly such hard work and she enjoyed all of it. The most fun she'd ever had with cooking was when she and Serah would do it together. Lightning wasn't as adept as Serah at it, but it was still fun to do.

Sighing to herself, she periodically checked the clock, time was slipping away and she wasn't sure if she'd done enough. But it had to be, she had no time to spare. Checking her phone, she saw texts from Hope. "Sorry, I wasn't ignoring you- just a little busy. I'm on my way to the airport, now." that seemed like a good response. Calling herself a cab, she grabbed her suitcase and waited outside.

"It's fine- I just wanted to know what/how you were doing."

"So long as you keep me busy, while I'm stuck in airport hell, I think I'll be fine." Lightning leaned against the front of the building, that cab sure was taking its time. Maybe it was just a side-effect of staying in such a large city.

"'Airport Hell', huh? Well if you're still stranded by the time I'm done teaching I think I can skip my office hours to come see you?"

"If it's not too much trouble." Lightning didn't want to outright say 'no' to him. But if his students needed him, then who was she to take away their 'beloved teacher'? Just being on campus, she could see how much they all adored him, some were even crushing on their professor. And it wasn't hard to see why- he was only 24 and not that much older than them. She'd even earned some of their glares when visiting Hope on the job- being as, she monopolized some of his time and they didn't like it. Those people reminded her of someone- Hope's former assistant. Lightning couldn't distinctly remember her name, but it did start with 'A'.

Startled out of her thoughts by the honking of her cab, she quickly made her way over and placed her luggage in the popped trunk. Climbing into the back, "Airport." checking her phone, she saw a small response by Hope saying that it was 'no trouble at all'. Somehow, she couldn't see his fans agreeing with that sentiment.

Looking out the window, she stared at the bypassing buildings and people. Nothing really piqued her interest, but she was trying to make the dull ride speed by. Feeling her phone buzz, she expected another text from Hope, but saw that it was instead Serah calling. "Yes?"

"You're not on your flight, yet?" Serah asked, sounding a bit sad by her own presumption.

"Not yet. I'm on the way to the airport." Lightning pursed her lips, "I'm not looking forward to waiting a few hours for one simple task."

"Even so, you're that much closer to coming here!" Serah couldn't contain her excitement, "I really can't wait to see you- and neither can Snow!"

"He and I have some business to take care of." Lightning frowned at the mention of Snow. She didn't care what it took, even if she had to hold the ceremony on her own, then so be it. Serah deserved to be happy.

"You do?" Serah asked, a bit surprised. "I didn't know you two were talking."

"We weren't. Hope just told me something interesting about-" Lightning couldn't finish her sentence before being interrupted by Serah.

"You're talking to Hope?"

By her reaction, it was clear Hope hadn't told her anything about the years they'd been in touch. Let alone the past month, which was a bit of a blessing. At some point she'd have to tell her sister, but if she did then Snow and Serah would end up tormenting her for every detail of their relationship. And that would be nothing more than a pain. "Of course."

"Did you see him? How's he doing?" Serah wouldn't lie, if Lightning had been to see Hope before her own sister, then she'd be jealous.

"If I said 'yes' to the first question, would you be angry?" Lightning asked.

"Maybe a little." Serah laughed, "You don't see me- but Hope gets your time?"

"He's been helping me try to find a stable job I can get into. It's not as easy as I thought id' be- I bounce around from office to office, never really staying long enough to learn the names of my coworkers. I've quit jobs from lots of corporations, but none of them seem angry. Most say they'd take me back in a second, if I asked for it." Lightning paused, taking out money for the driver, as they'd reached her destination. Taking the phone from her ear, "Keep the change." she said, getting out and grabbing her bag. On placing it back against her ear, she heard Serah rambling on about a few different things.

"Slow down." Lightning chided her, walking into the airport and making her way to the front desk.

"Sorry I just...wanna know what's happening with you, Lightning." Serah explained, "Plus, you're on the way here- and it's all hard to process!"

"Is that Snow I hear in the background?" Lightning asked, in-between talking to the front desk lady, Serah and trying to keep a happy medium between the two. Some things she said the woman thought were for her, Serah also got a little confused.

"Yeah, he's...doing something or other." Serah didn't know where she was going with this.

"Hand him the phone, will you?" Lightning made her way to the baggage inspection.

"Yo." Snow made his way onto the phone after Lightning heard quite a bit of thrashing around on Serah's end. "Lightning?" he wasn't sure she was still on the line, as it took her a moment to respond.

"Hang on." Lightning was forced to put her phone in a plastic bin, along with anything metallic. Some people were being given additional screening in private, and she hoped she wasn't given one. Complying with everything they had to say, once satisfied she was able to grab her personal possessions. "Still there?"

"Hey, I have at least _some_ patience." Snow laughed.

"That's where you and I differ, big guy." Lightning's tone took a bit of a darker turn. "I wanna know why my sister isn't married."

"Well, uh, that's a bit of a loaded question sis, isn't it?" Snow asked, he hadn't meant to be evasive in his answering, it was just a strange thing to spring on someone.

"Sorry, I only just learned about the situation a few hours ago. But I thought someone had some hasty marriage plans a few hundred years ago?" Lightning crossed her legs, sitting in one of the airport chairs.

"Well, yeah, but then you went missing and it kinda hitched my plans a bit. Then what with Serah...the new world, we haven't really had the time, Lightning. We both want you here for the ceremony, so we're willing to wait."

"So, I'm part of the blame, huh?" Lightning sighed, "Thought so."

"No one is blaming you." Snow chided her.

"Yeah? I blame me." Lightning frowned. "Somehow I always end up the root of some sort of problem."

"It's not really a problem at all. It's easily fixed. She just wants her big sister to be there, so she can be her maid of honor. Get Fang and Vanille to be brides maids, maybe even Yeul. And as for me- well, obviously I wanna have Sazh there, Dajh, Hope, Noel." Snow talked fondly of their old friends, it only served to reinforce the fact that they were all a family.

"I think this is just some sort of ploy to see me in a dress." Lightning said bluntly.

"You got me. I wanted to see my sister actually have some sort of femininity." Snow laughed, "Come on, Lightning. You know you'll love it. You can also bring that guy you've been seeing. I'd like to meet the guy who's brave enough to take you on as his other half. Seeing as you haven't killed him yet, he must be pretty special."

"Secrets all around." Lightning was very pleased Hope hadn't shared with Snow or Serah about their relationship. "Maybe I'll just leave him at home- so he won't have to get scared off by you guys."

"And have him miss such an important occasion? I'll personally hunt him down. Wait- hang on a second, did I just hear right, or are you living with him?" Snow asked.

"Who could say?" Lightning dodged the question, shrugging even though there was no way Snow could see that.

"Fine. Maybe I'll just see if Hope has anything to say about that." Snow teased.

"He tells you anything, and I'll beat you twice as hard as Lake Bresha." Lightning warned.

"Hey! If he's the one spillin' the beans, then why am I the one who gets hurt?" Snow asked.

"Because you're the one prying into my life and trying to find out secrets that I want to stay secret." Lightning said flatly.

"Alright, alright. I can take a hint. So, when can we expect you here?"

"Late." Lightning sighed, at least she'd be able to get some sleep on the plane. That'd shave off a few hours.

"So much attention to detail." Snow laughed.

"Probably 10 or 11."

"Alright, see you then. So, you wanna talk to Serah again, or...?"

"No. It's fine." Lightning hung up her phone, willing the next little while to pass by quickly. Eventually she found a way to entertain herself, and it just flew by. Hope didn't end up able to come to the airport, but it wasn't really a big deal. He was busy, and sent her an apology text. All of his fangirls probably thanked her.

Finally, it was time for boarding. "Alright. Just a few hours more."


	5. Chapter 5

The flight hadn't been as quick as Lightning had wanted it to be. A few hours worth of listening to crying children, their neglectful mothers who seemingly enjoyed the noise emanating from their child, passengers wondering if they were 'going to be bombed', some requesting to _not_ be seated by anyone other than a Caucasian skin tone, and more nonsense about peanuts. If ever there was an appropriate time for irritated eye twitches, it was now. Her frustration also hadn't allowed Lightning any sleep on the flight, and her impatience to get off right when they landed was at its peak. And while she may not have had the aisle seat, she was the first to leave of her and the person sitting beside her.

Switching her phone off airplane mode, she practically shoved her way through the crowd of passengers exiting the plane. Some scoffed at her, saying that she was a 'rude woman', and Lightning sent one of the glares she had saved specifically for Snow back on Cocoon- they instantly shut up and averted eye contact. While time may have taught her patience airplanes, sadly, had not. If only she had brought a carry on as opposed to a bag- she could have been out that much sooner.

 _Hey, are you there, yet? 11:02 pm_

Right on schedule, Hope had sent her a text. Sighing gratefully of relief, Lightning instantly began her response.

 _Just got in...how are things there?_

Everytime she saw the '...' on his end start up, stop, and repeat the process, her gnawing impatience came back. Lightning almost wanted to type up an essay of the things that had annoyed on the flight, but Hope didn't need to hear her rants right now. Hopefully he'd call, that way she could really relay her irritation better. Somethings really just didn't translate well through text.

 _Pretty okay, I guess. I've gotta say- I never really knew how lonely this place could feel. Well, it never actually felt lonely, until I got used to you staying here. I'm uh...just saying that...I miss you._

Lightning smiled, she really needed to hear that right now. About to type her reply, she was interrupted by a call from Serah. Swiping the screen she gratefully answered the call, "Hello?"

"Glad I caught ya. So, where are you at, sis?" Snow asked, she could hear lots of background noise. It was clear he had been waiting at the airport, for how long, she didn't exactly know.

"At the baggage claim. Hoping that on top of it all, they _didn't_ manage to lose my bag." Lightning watched it rotate, willing her bag to fall out and end up in front of her right then and there.

"Gotcha. I'm on my way." Snow hung the phone, and a few minutes later was right beside Lightning. "Hey, manage to find it yet?"

"No such luck." Lightning frowned.

"Hey, what's with such the long face? Don't tell me you're already bummed out to be seein' me?" Snow asked with a grin, "C'mon gimme a hug, y'know you wanna." he opened his arms wide.

"Is it mandatory?" Lightning asked, it wasn't fair of her to take out frustrations on Snow. But old habits evidently died hard.

"I could make you do it." Snow said teasingly.

"You wouldn't." Lightning dared him to do as he'd gently 'threatened'. It wasn't a threat per se, but she was just cranky so anything could have provoked her at this point.

"I think we both know I would." Snow wasn't deterred at all by her mood, Lightning was always usually like this. And while he was absolutely no substitute for Serah, he wanted to try and cheer her up.

Lightning didn't bother to argue, she didn't have the patience. Stepping forward, she hugged Snow. Some of her stress melted away, but she couldn't enjoy the gesture to its maximum potential. Being on the receiving end of these things, she was used to Hope doing it fairly often. He just...always had a way about them. Snow's scent was a disappointment to Lightning, she was used to smelling Hope's distinct smell of soap, deodorant and cologne. Shutting her eyes, she imagined it was Hope, which caused her to hug a little bit tighter than she should have.

"Didn't think you'd be that happy to see me." Snow chuckled, "Missed you too, sis."

"It's...been a long day." Lightning said, a tad bit embarrassed, she stepped out of the gesture. "But I am glad to see you. It's been a long time."

"While I can't say the same, mainly 'cause I haven't been stuck in all of this nonsense you've been dealing with for the past 5 hours...I gotta say, I'd be less than chipper too." he paused in between his response, "Yeah, it really has." Snow nodded in agreement, "Far too long. We really need to catch up."

"I'd love to, I really would...but I'd just like to go to bed." Lightning sighed, "Think Serah'll be disappointed?" she asked.

"Oh, definitely." Snow nodded, he didn't even have to think on that one. Lightning shot him a look, and he raised his hands in defeat. "I'm just saying that, well, you know...she really was looking forward to this..." he scratched the back of his head. "So was I, actually."

"Are you getting all sappy on me?" Lightning asked, finally seeing her bag.

"Not at all!" Snow laughed, "It's just...nice and all, seeing ya again."

"Ditto." Lightning agreed, grabbing her suitcase. "Now how about we get Serah in on the reunion?"

"You got it." Snow nodded, "C'mon." he motioned for her to follow him, the big guy easily getting crowds to separate for the two of them to make their way through. Lightning was grateful to have her brother-to-be leading the way. She honestly didn't have the energy reserves to deal with others right now, and Snow seemed on a mission to get her back to Serah. A few minutes of shuffling through the airport, they finally arrived outside and to the car.

"So, why couldn't this sister of mine tag along?" Lightning asked.

"There's a reason for that, just...trust me, alright?" Snow winked, opening the car door for Lightning to climb in. "Don't worry about the bag, I'll put it in the back."

"A reason." Lightning wondered just what that could be. "Thanks."

Snow nodded, shutting the door for her and placing her suitcase in the back of the car. Making his way to the drivers seat, he climbed in. "So, this guy in your life- what's he like?" he was genuinely curious on the matter. Lightning resisted the eye roll she felt coming on, Snow was grinning ear to ear, and she couldn't help a small smile.

"I'm going to say this only once-" Lightning paused, glancing over at Snow, "-since I can only assume that you're going to be relentless on this subject, and no matter how many times I say 'don't ask', you will, in fact, keep asking me about him. 20 questions, got it?" she asked, waiting for confirmation on Snow's part.

"Sure." Snow nodded, "Can't say Serah'll end up playing nice on the whole guy thing, though." he gave Lightning fair warning.

"I know that." Lightning would have many questions from Serah, and so few answers she'd actually be willing to share.

"What's his name?" Snow went right for the obvious question Lightning had been expecting.

"Cool it hotshot." Lightning frowned, "You know _what's_ off the table."

"Fine. Can't blame a guy for trying, you know?" Snow pointed out, "Alright, let's see..." he was trying to think of the perfect question to ask Lightning. "Do you two live together?" that question had previously been 'off the table' when he'd asked, maybe now it wouldn't be such a hot subject.

"Yes." Lightning could practically hear Snow's breath hitch, and the car had veered off for a second.

"Whoa! Really?" Snow wasn't prepared for that answer.

"You now only have 18 questions left." Lightning

"Quit bein' so stingy." Snow was really starting to enjoy their banter, it felt just like old times. Lightning always had this way about her, that made you miss her company, no matter how she treated you. Truth be told, he never really felt that she was a 'cold' person- she just took a while to warm up to people, but once she did, you got to know the real her. And that made the whole experience worthwhile. "Older or younger?"

"Younger." Lightning could tell he was also surprised by that answer.

"Now, I wanna ask how big the age difference is- but I think that's a waste of a question." Snow thought aloud, "Let's see..." tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, he tried to think. "How'd you two get together?"

"The long or the short version?" Lightning asked.

"Whichever you prefer." Snow shrugged, she wasn't at liberty to tell him anything, and if she felt comfortable enough to do it in this form, then he wouldn't press her any further.

"I had just quit desk job at a large corporation, and I was having a pretty terrible day. This person in question had become sort of like my life line, to be honest...he'd call me during lunch hours, or I'd call him and though he wasn't supposed to he'd be on the phone during his job. I don't know why I find myself drawn to dead-end jobs I can't ever seeing myself going anywhere at, but I want to keep trying." Lightning found herself going off on a small tangent and caught herself. "That day I was called into my bosses office, I thought I was being fired- he surprised me by saying I had been up for a promotion. I ended up quitting, he seemed surprised by that fact. Wandering out of the building, I found myself walking to the train station." she paused for a moment, "Before I knew it- I bought a ticket to go and see him. And I may not have been able to admit it, or consciously think it back then, but it made me really happy to go and see him. The mere thought of seeing him offered me a great form of reprieve."

"Sounds like your not so typical run of the mill guy." Snow commented, "Sorry to interrupt."

"It doesn't matter." Lightning monopolized on the short opportunity to think more of that day. "When I made it to his apartment, he was ready for me to be there. It wasn't tidied up, or romanticized- he just...somehow knew I'd be by." she smiled a bit, "And while we didn't have any fancy dinner out in a restaurant, and neither of us are five star chefs in the kitchen- we had a decent meal." Lightning fibbed a bit on that part, she didn't like his convenience store meals, they just had such a strange taste to them.

"Y'know it's not always about that kinda thing. If it's the right person, then it doesn't matter where the setting is, or...the food and small details like that- it's the company you keep." Snow heard how well she talked of this guy, and Lightning seemed totally into him. "If he's the one you go runnin' to when you need comfort, then that's all that matters, right?"

"Maybe." Lightning agreed, "Do you want to know the rest of that night?" she asked.

"There's more?" Snow raised a brow, glancing over at her quickly while they were stopped.

"Always." Lightning teased, "It'll cost you another question."

"No argument here." Snow shrugged, "This is...getting interesting."

"I'm not sure what it all was exactly, but I came on to him." Lightning admitted, "I won't say that it was because we'd been drinking, but I just...felt like it was the right thing to do."

"And what'd he do?" Snow asked, keeping his tone completely serious. He didn't want to screw up the moment, Lightning was opening up pretty big with him and he wanted to make sure she knew he was a guy to be counted on in these kinds of situations.

"He was surprised at my behavior- and so was I. But that wasn't the end of our night, I took him back to his room, and, you can probably guess the rest." Lightning looked out the car window, just in case Snow shot her some short of childish grin or decided to make fun of her.

"Sounds like something mighta been building up for a while then, you know?" Snow asked, "I mean, these things don't typically just 'happen' like that. You said you didn't consciously think about those kinds of things, so maybe, deep down, you knew there was 'something' there- and maybe he did too."

"We talked it over, the next morning, sorting things out. He made some very valid points, and I tried to let him know that our friendship wouldn't be on the line just because of what happened." Lightning sighed, "I probably could have used you there to mediate between us. We clearly had no idea what we were getting ourselves into."

"Gonna tell me who them mystery man is?" Snow asked, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Now's not the time." Lightning shook her head, "I'm not sure when the right time would actually come up."

"So long as I know there is a 'time' when you wanna fill me in, then I don't mind waiting."

"I'd like to tell you, I really would, but I'd need his permission. And what with the wedding and all, I don't think it's the right time. It's yours and Serah's time, I have no business taking away from that."

"You wouldn't be taking away from anything, you deserve to be happy, you do know that, right?"

"I know. But my little sister comes first." that was one thing she'd be stubborn over for the rest of her life. Serah would come first- and there was no debating that.

"Sometimes Lightning can come first too." Snow chided her, "We're here." he announced, parking the car.

"That didn't take too long." maybe it was because of their long talk, because it seemed to have taken no time at all.

"I can't end up monopolizing all of your time." Snow joked, making his way to Lightning's door to let her out.

"It was a nice chat." Lightning grabbed her bag, and followed Snow inside. At first glance, it was a very large house for just the two of them, but it was really spectacular. Stepping through the front doors, Lightning saw decorations reminiscent of Pulse/Cocoon and a bit of inspiration from Valhalla. A statue of Mog lingered in the doorway, it looked really uncanny to the moogle. Looking at it, she had to wonder if in death they'd be able to meet again in the unseen realm. Odin would be glad to see her again, Mog probably would as well. Though it may be a selfish thought, she'd try to stay in the unseen realm for as long as possible, to 'visit' her friends- the Eidolons. When your soul was to be reborn, your memories were wiped clean and you were able to start completely anew.

But Lightning didn't want to forget her past.

"You comin'?" Snow asked, he couldn't help but to notice the fact that Lightning was totally zoned out in front of the moogle statue. Maybe it sparked some sort of old memories. Lightning didn't even respond, so he decided to go and grab Serah. It'd be nice to have Serah surprise Lightning for a change of pace. Making his way upstairs, he wasted no time in getting Serah.

"Where's Lightning?" Serah expectantly looked behind Snow to see if her sister was hidden behind the large man, to her immediate disappointment her sister wasn't in sight.

"Downstairs." Snow explained, "Waitin' just for you."

"Okay." Serah moved past Snow, running down the stairs to find her sister, still staring at the statue. "Lightning!"

Lightning turned her head to see Serah, "It's been a long time." she smiled at her sister.

Serah ran over to Lightning and hugged her sister tightly. "Yeah, it really has."

"Don't start crying on me now." Lightning laughed a bit, hugging Serah back. She could see Snow smiling at the pair, and motioned for him to come over too. Snow accepted her offer and hugged both women, it was sweet just to see the sisters reunited again, let alone him joining in the festivities.

"I'm not crying!" Serah insisted, "And if I am- it's only because I'm just so...so happy."

"I'm happy too." Lightning admitted, "Now how about we all let go and I can go get some rest?" she asked.

"You're going to bed?" Serah asked, disappointed at Lightning's statement, "But you just got here!"

"I know that- but I was also stranded for several hours on a plane with obnoxious people. It's like...how we used to think of Pulse as hell when we lived on Cocoon." Lightning saw Serah pout at her, and knew that she'd have to cave.

Snow would have chimed in, but it seemed just like a 'Farron' thing they'd need to work out. Plus, it was funny to watch Serah get Lightning to do as she wanted. He'd never seen Serah do it before, and this was getting to be precious.

"Are you really that tired?" Serah asked.

Lightning sighed softly, "Got any coffee?" she asked Snow.

"Oddly enough, yes." Snow nodded.

"Good. Looks like it'll be a long night." Lightning felt her phone buzz, and decided to check it. That is, before Serah decided to snoop over her shoulder. "Can I help you?"

"Come on Lightning! Who is it? Is it your boyfriend?" Serah asked, still trying to see who texted Lightning.

"And what if it was?" Lightning asked, sliding her phone back into her pocket. She'd just have to find a good spot to sit so she could reply to Hope and let him know that she'd gotten in safely and answer the billion other questions he had waiting for her.

"You can't just put it out there like that, then not give me anything to go by." Serah really wanted to know who Lightning was dating. But Lightning was being so evasive in answering any of her questions. Was he really someone that she didn't want Serah to meet, let alone know about? Was Lightning ashamed to be with him?

"I just played the Q&A with Snow." Lightning hoped that would get Serah a little more on his case than hers. "Come on, let's go upstairs." she looked at her suitcase, but decided against bringing the heavy bag up with her right now. Serah followed Lightning up and sat on the couch, Lightning decided on the arm chair directly opposite the couch. There was no mirrored surfaces near it, so she could text Hope in peace without Serah getting a look at what she was saying. After all, how could she just come out and say she was dating Hope?

"Here ya go." Snow placed a cup in front of Lightning, "I didn't wanna guess what you take in it, so here's a bit of everything." he put creamer, milk and sugar in front of her. Snow sat beside Serah, wondering what bits of the conversation he'd missed out on.

"Thanks." Lightning didn't prefer to use milk or creamer, she found it didn't really have any purpose outside of diluting the caffeine. And right now, all she needed was caffeine. Adding in a teaspoon of sugar, it was just the right amount of sweetness for her. Waiting for Serah to start questioning her, she checked the last text between her and Hope, it had been a while since she replied to him.

 _Just got in to Serah's place. Shouldn't you be asleep?_

"So, what's he like?" Serah asked.

Seeing that Hope was busy replying to her, she decided to use the situation to her advantage; answer her sister's questions and not dwell on the fact that Hope may be missing work due to her again. Or at the very least interrupting his life schedule for her. "Dependable." seeing that wasn't the answer Serah wanted, she decided to follow up. "He's...everything I didn't know I wanted in a person. Someone that I found I could rely on time and again, that was willing to help me out, regardless of how I treated him. Little by little, he wore me down, and...I wouldn't have it any other way. I found myself changing, and not just because of him or for him- but he made me a better person, just by being by my side. Maybe I was just dense about what was happening, there had to be some sort of key element that led to us being together."

"He sounds like...someone really special." Serah smiled, seeing Lightning speak so fondly of this person. He seemed to really make Lightning happy, and what more could Serah hope for? The idea of her having found someone just like the way she saw Snow was too perfect. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she wondered what else to ask. Was there anything else?

Lightning's phone vibrated and she checked it again.

 _Classes were cancelled for tomorrow, so I actually end up with a free day. Ironic, huh? Would have been nice to find out about that earlier._

Holding her head in her hands, Lightning couldn't help but to smile a bit. She knew that Hope was probably mentally kicking himself over the fact that he 'could have come', but that still wouldn't have been the case. Coming just for two days, then leaving? Snow and Serah finding out, then she being left to deal with them hassling her over it?

 _What are you going to do on your rare day off? Clean up what mess I assume you've made in my less than a days absence?_

"So it _is_ him texting you!" Serah couldn't fend off her excitement over the matter.

"Let Light have at least _some_ privacy, Serah. Plus, you gotta remember that she'll be bringin' along her guy to the wedding, anyway. So it's not as if we'll _never_ see or meet him." Snow chided her.

"You're right..." Serah sighed a bit, "I'm just...so excited for Lightning!" she smiled apologetically to her sister, "I'm so sorry if I'm being nosy or unreasonable."

"Ask all the questions you want to ask." Lightning didn't hesitate, "That goes for you too." she told Snow.

 _Not much of a mess- I promise! I'm just a bit tired from the day, so I'll have it all done by tomorrow._

Lightning scoffed at his text, _Well if you're so 'tired' then how about going to bed?_

"I don't know what's more interesting- us all talking about you and your guy or seeing _you_ talk to your guy." Snow laughed, seeing her facial expressions while texting him were very comical.

Serah laughed with him, "Maybe he's...funny?" she suggested.

"I just let him know that I expect the apartment not to be rundown by the time I get back." Lightning said, she didn't mind giving them bits and pieces of the conversation.

"Ah, so he's a bit of a slob? Bet he's no match for the older Farron sister." Snow winked.

"Well, if I get back to a dirty apartment, he can expect some divine wrath." Lightning joked. She honestly wouldn't be angry if Hope let the apartment get a bit dirty. It was understandable, he had such a fast-paced life and was barely home to begin with, so he didn't always have time to clean up after himself.

 _I don't want to. I'd rather be talking to you._

That one had Lightning averting her eyes for a moment, sometimes Hope said really romantic things, even if he didn't mean to. Truth be told, she'd rather be talking to him right now, too. It wasn't that Serah and Snow weren't great company, it was just that they were both playing 'catch up' to her relationship with Hope. Although it was a pain to keep it a secret, it'd be easier in the long run.

 _I'm so tired I feel like I'm going to fall over. Caffeine isn't even helping the situation._

"He can't be that bad, can he?" Serah asked, she didn't think Lightning would be with a slob.

"No. It's nothing really major, he just sometimes forgets to throw some things away, and it's no big deal. He has a job that keeps him really busy, and when he's home which is sometimes pretty rare- he just doesn't have the time." Hope would sometimes be back, with barely any energy at all. Sometimes, he'd fall asleep right then and there. It made her worry, seeing him just keel over and not move for a few hours. At the very least he wouldn't have moved, had she not put him in his room.

 _I know exactly how you feel. That's like me, right now. I can barely keep my eyes open, but I don't want to miss a response from you. Sorry if_ __I_ don't respond, that just means I lost the battle.  
_

"What kinda stuff does he do?" Snow asked curiously.

"He's a teacher." Lightning didn't know how to rephrase that any better.

"And it keeps him that busy?" Serah asked, "What kind of teaching does he do?" she was a teacher as well, but it didn't keep her that busy.

"He works at a University, so it's not the same kind of work that you do, Serah. He takes on graduate students, TA's, makes his own tests, sometimes, he'll talk a mile a minute and I can barely keep up with what he has to say. Although he will assure me that it's not because I'm not as smart as he is, just that it's because he's had more practice and what he's been doing." Hope was always so enthusiastic about his work, and she loved to hear him speak about it. But talking about atoms, cultures and such, she didn't know what he meant. One of these days, she'd need to go into his lab and see what he meant. At least that way he'd know she tried to meet him halfway.

 _Looks like this is a fight we'll both be losing._

"Seems like the guy really likes his work." Snow could see how that was completely different from Serah's work. Serah taught elementary school children, and if this guy was dealing with adults all day long, then he must have been doing some complex things.

"I've never heard someone be so enthusiastic about one thing before. Well, except for you, I guess." Lightning yawned, she was getting too tired to banter.

"Sounds like a good man." Snow laughed, "Serah, I think we gotta let the woman sleep."

"I think so too." Serah agreed, "Lightning, your room is just down the hall, if you wanna go."

"Thanks." Lightning stood up, "How about we pick things up tomorrow?" she suggested, hearing 'yes' from both as she went into the bedroom, gratefully falling onto the bed. Rather than reading Hopes text to her, she decided to shortly call him.

"Light?" Hope wasted no time in picking up the phone, his sleeping voice ringing through.

"You sound tired." Lightning yawned, trying to make it as soundless as possible.

"So do you." Hope laughed a bit. "How'd it go with Serah and Snow?"

"Pretty well, actually." Lightning shut her eyes, just listening to his voice. "I may fall asleep."

"Me too." Hope agreed, "How was your flight?"

"Long." Lightning knew that it wouldn't be long before she fell asleep. Her senses were starting to dull, and fighting sleep was no longer a viable option. She heard Hope's voice vaguely in the background, but all she could offer in response was a small grunt.

Hope couldn't resist a small smile, he hit the "End" button on his phone, and texted Lightning quickly. Laying on her side of the bed, he remembered her saying something about 'his scent', but he found hers to be much more pleasant.


	6. Chapter 6

_A day off._

That phrase seemed nothing but utterly foreign to Hope, what was he supposed to do on a day like today? In the back of his mind, he knew that Lightning would be hounding him for not yet cleaning up his mess in the living room. Glancing over at the alarm clock, he saw that it was still incredibly early in the morning. Even on a day with an anomaly such as this, his routine still kicked in. Sitting up, stretching and yawning Hope draped his legs over the side of the bed, deciding it was time to get up. After all, why should someone break their routine after just one day?

Hope made his way to the bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror for a moment. He looked really tired, and it was probably due to the fact that he'd stayed up late with Lightning the previous night. Smiling softly at the memory, he decided to stop procrastinating and have a shower. Ordinarily he would have laid out his clothes on such a day, but after living with Lightning he'd actually come to expect them already there. Which is why when he stepped out of the shower, he was surprised to find that they weren't there.

So, maybe his routine had already been spoiled. Etro forbid he actually said that or dared think it in front of Lightning. It wasn't out of contempt that he thought of such things, just that Lightning had spoiled him in her short tenure of living together. Feeding him, cleaning up after him, laying out clothes for him... _dressing him_. At that thought he instantly felt heat spread through his cheeks. Tossing the vivid memory of Lightning shortly before she left aside, he decided not to procrastinate any longer.

Making his way back to their bedroom, he hastily put on an outfit he'd usually save for a work day. Checking his phone, he looked in vain for a text or call from Lightning- maybe it was just too early for such things. Backtracking to the bathroom, he decided to finish off the menial tasks of grooming before setting out on something actually productive for the day.

"Where do I...begin?" Hope stared at his mess, had Lightning _actually_ only been gone for less than 24 hours? Were she to see this mess, Lightning would probably be far less than pleased. Truth be told, it just slipped his mind to get rid of the trash when it had been produced. Using the excuse that he was busy just didn't seem viable in this situation.

Maybe he'd just become lazy in doing household chores. Sighing to himself, Hope managed to finish off the simple task- now for the rest of the living room. "How did I...manage to let things get this bad in such a short amount of time?" pillow from the couch were askew, some cushions had been carelessly knocked out of place and the coffee table had somehow managed to shift a few inches over. _Somehow._ As if he actually didn't know _who_ moved the table, and _why_ \- sometimes he needed to adjust it because he worked on his laptop in the living room.

Part way through him fixing up the living room, he finally felt his phone begin to buzz. Lightning's name showed up on the screen and he hit the 'Answer' button, "Hello?"

"Looks like not even a day off is enough to stop you from cracking down." Lightning commented.

"Nope." Hope laughed a bit, though his idle hands began to anxiously play with one another. Did she phone explicitly to see about something? Lightning said she didn't know whether or not he'd been up, so maybe it was just a courtesy call? He could think up hundreds of questions and a multitude of scenarios on 'why', but he wouldn't actually know unless he asked. The trouble was, he didn't know if he should ask- it would come off as rude, wouldn't it?

"One word answers? If I wanted those, then I guess I could just text you, instead?" Lightning let the question linger in the air. She was of course only teasing, but not sure if Hope would end up taking it seriously.

"Sorry about that." Hope sheepishly apologized, "I was just...in the middle of a few things, and...well, waiting for your call, actually. I also wasn't sure if I should end up calling you, because you may have been busy, and I didn't want to get in the way of you doing things with Serah and Snow...then there's the added possibility of me-"

"Slow down." Hope was rambling and Lightning was barely able to keep up with him. "Organize your thoughts a little more, I can't keep up with you."

"I...I just meant that...well, I wanted to call, I just didn't know when or how to go about it- that's all." Hope explained.

"I see." Lightning laughed a bit, "Don't ever feel like you can't contact me- I would have called earlier myself, but I just wasn't sure if you were up or not."

"Hey! Who ya talkin' to? Is it your special guy?" Hope heard Snow in the background followed by Serah.

"Is it, Lightning!?" Serah sounded especially excited.

"Somehow, I don't find it plausible I'd be meeting their expectations." Hope smiled at Serah/Snow's commentary in the background, but he had to wonder how Lightning was taking such things. It didn't seem to be annoying her, at least that's what he got from the situation. At the very least she wasn't yelling or berating them to stop, so maybe it didn't matter?

"Oh, it's just Hope." Lightning had decided to put it on speakerphone for a moment to subside all of their constant questions.

"Even so just as exciting!" Serah chimed in, "Hi, Hope! How are you doing?"

"Nice to hear you too, Snow." Hope addressed Snow's lack of interest in a playful manner just as the other male had. "Hey, Serah. I'm doing fairly well, actually, how are you doing?"

"We're having lots of fun showing Lightning some of the best sights we have to offer here." Serah explained.

"Hey, it's not like I'm not interested in talkin' to ya." Snow cut in right after Serah finished, "I just find it a little impersonal to be doin' this over the phone. You should come and visit so we can have an actual conversation and some fun."

Before Hope could even begin to respond, Lightning cut in. "How about you two lead the way to the next attraction and I finish my conversation?" she took Hope off speakerphone so they'd have some privacy. "Sorry about that."

"Why are you sorry? I enjoyed it." Hope didn't find Lightning at fault for any reason, so why did she?

"Suddenly getting tag teamed by Serah and Snow?" Lightning offered, "Unless you actually liked having a four way conversation. Those two could probably out talk even _you_."

Hope couldn't resist a small laugh at that statement, it was no secret that Lightning thought he could talk alot. "Have they started to drive you a little crazy?"

"I just don't think I'm used to having this much company...or questions." Lightning sighed softly.

"I take it from their earlier commentary you hadn't told them about...us?" it was fairly obvious that she hadn't, but he had to reaffirm his assumption on the matter.

"No." Lightning paused, trying to find a good way to explain to Hope why she didn't do so. "It just...you know, what with the wedding and all- it didn't...seem like the best of times."

"That makes sense." Hope agreed, "It's their special time, and I wouldn't like to take away from that myself."

"But if we're both going, then they're bound to find out."

"Are you suggesting that either one of us not go...?"

"No! They'd know something was up, and I know that Serah and Snow would be disappointed if either one of us didn't show up. I wouldn't ask that of you, and it's a little ridiculous to be that extreme about this." Lightning was honestly struggling to think of a good time to tell the gang about her and Hope. But everytime she tried, there was no answer in sight.

"It is a very complicated situation. Have they chosen a date?"

"They're trying to find one that fits around everyone's schedules."

"So, no, then?"

"Well, I know for one that they _definitely_ want me here. Then they have to factor in Fang and Vanille...Sazh and Dajh, Noel and Yeul and of course you. Your schedule should really give them a run for their money."

"I could just take some vacation days, you know?" Hope didn't mean to sound like a know-it-all, but he did have a simple solution to that problem. Regarding the first one, he honestly didn't have very many ideas.

"Any bright ideas on the whole big reveal thing?" Lightning sincerely hoped he did.

"Why not just say it outright, Light?" Hope had heard her reasoning behind keeping it a secret- but it honestly didn't sound like there would be any grief or hassling on the matter were she to come clean about it.

"That's easy for _you_ to say. _You_ wouldn't have to deal with their reactions. _You_ wouldn't be tormented day in and day out with Serah and Snow coming at you from both sides." Lightning didn't understand how he thought it could be such a simple task to do away with.

"I don't think that's necessarily true, I mean- it absolutely is, but at the same time Serah has my phone number. And there are varying ways she could speak to me face-to-face regarding this matter." video calls were a distinctive possibility, and if Serah or Snow were to call him that way he wouldn't dodge the call. This was by no means a simple matter, but it wasn't anything that seemed like the end of the world, either.

"If you honestly _don't_ think this is a big deal, then _you_ tell her."

"Are you sure that you'd want me to do it?" it sounded more like a challenge from Lightning's end that _he_ be the one to tell Serah.

"Absolutely." Lightning didn't hesitate in her answer, "It's no big deal, right? Then you get to tell her."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Hope didn't know if Lightning was being serious- she sounded like she wasn't kidding.

"Hey, if you think you can just drop a bombshell like this on my sister, then by all means." Lightning didn't even give Hope the option to respond, she handed the phone over to Serah.

"Hey Hope! Lightning said you have something to say?" Serah asked.

"I..I'm not so sure." Hope blinked, was Lightning testing him? Would he get into some sort of trouble if he said something?

"Oh? Well don't feel like you can't say whatever you wanted to say." Serah encouraged him a bit to say what was on his mind.

"I don't think Lightning would be too keen on me saying what I was going to." Hope explained, trying to keep himself busy rather than just being idle and fidgeting.

"She said it's okay with her." Serah asked Lightning again for confirmation, and Hope could hear the 'yes'.

"I feel like this may be one of those situations where 'yes' actually means 'no'." Hope was puzzled by his own statement, it seemed strange having one thing mean the exact opposite.

"Those are strange, aren't they?" Serah laughed.

"Yes, I would in fact have to say that they are most perplexing." Hope sighed, would Lightning kill him if he said anything?

"You don't want to tell me, do you?" Serah asked, "It's okay if you don't- if my sister will end up getting mad at you...then it probably isn't the best of things to say."

"I couldn't agree with you more."

"I'll hand her back the phone now. Bye, Hope."

"Bye, Serah."

"Couldn't do it, could you?" Lightning asked.

"It's not that I _couldn't_ more that I thought I _shouldn't_."

"Now you see my problem."

"I do...I really, really do." Hope conceded.

"How about...at the wedding? Nothing to upstage Serah and Snow, but you know...something like...pairing up on the dance floor? It's easy, most people probably wouldn't even believe us, anyway- and we can laugh it off."

"I'm fine with whatever you want to do."

"Then it's decided, I guess."

"I suppose it is." waiting for Serah's and Snow's wedding? That seemed completely doable, although it had an indeterminate date, which is probably why Lightning decided on such a thing. Her and him on the dance floor?

"You do know how to dance, right?" Lightning asked, "I'm not going to end up leading you, or having my feet stepped on?"

"Truth be told? I'm not really adept at it, but I can make my way through such things." Hope could tell she was teasing, but he may end up being really clumsy on the dance floor.

"Well, that's good. And did Serah actually end up telling you the good news?"

"What news?"

"Maybe she got a little distracted. They set a date for the wedding."

"Oh? When's that happening?" so maybe his assumption on Lightning's intentions were completely off.

"A month."

"So soon!?" Lightning seemed really cavalier about it all, like it was perfectly natural to suddenly host such a large celebration in a small amount of time.

"Apparently I really made Snow take initiative." Lightning shrugged her shoulders, regardless of the fact of if Hope could actually see the gesture, or not. "They had everything on stand-by, but were just waiting for the 'right time' which evidently meant me coming by. And with me here, well, they just couldn't wait any longer. Serah talked to Fang and Vanille, they're completely on board. Sazh, Dajh, Noel and Yeul all agreed, and they didn't ask you, because I ended up doing it. Looks like it'll be one big family reunion."

"Exactly." Hope honestly couldn't resist saying what seemed to be Noel's favorite word.

"And how long were you waiting to use that?" Lightning asked.

"Honestly? I thought I'd end up saying it to Noel one of these days when I saw him again." Hope honestly missed seeing all of them. Time certainly went by, but he thought that theirs was a bond to be unbroken. It surpassed the passage of time, the death of the old Gods and three worlds, but somehow, in only seven years...they all went their separate ways.

"Well, here's hoping you don't miss that chance of yours. What'd you have planned for today? Is that living room in shambles?"

"Actually, I just finished tidying things up in there." Hope laughed, "Have a little faith in me, Light."

"You're right, I guess I should believe you're capable of doing things on your own. So long as it isn't a pigsty by the time I get back." Lightning semi-joked, he could be sloppy so it wasn't as if it could be ruled out as a possibility.

"I promise you it absolutely won't be filthy when you get back. Whatever it takes, I'll keep this place clean."

"That's good to hear." Lightning laughed, he sounded so serious when he promised her.

"So, what do you have planned for the day?"

"Apparently Serah wants to look for brides maid dresses. Snow also seems enthusiastic about the whole thing, says it'll be interesting to see me in a dress." Lightning scoffed, it wasn't as if she didn't wear any feminine clothes. Of all things a dress just wasn't practical for anything she had to do.

"Oh yeah? Well, so long as you find one you like, I suppose." maybe it would be interesting. But Hope had seen her wear one before, on Nova Chrysallia it had been a requirement of Lightning- one that she teased him about.

"You're imagining it right now, aren't you?" Lightning asked.

"No..." Hope blatantly denied it.

"And by 'no' you mean 'yes'." Lightning could tell that he was lying.

"I have seen you wear one before, Light. You look nice in one."

"You avoided answering."

"I guess I did." Hope laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. His cheeks felt hot, he was a bit embarrassed at her not believing him.

"Well, I guess I should get going now. I'm sure Serah will end up sending you pictures." Lightning huffed, why was the image of her in a dress so hard for people to grasp?

"Pictures?" Hope didn't understand why Serah would forward him pictures.

"Of the dresses."

"Oh. Well, I look forward to us talking again later." Hope honestly did, he'd just have to try and find a way to make this day do by faster.

"Until then." Lightning agreed, hanging up her phone.

"Back to cleaning..." Hope spoke to absolutely no one in general. Straightening out the apartment was absolutely tiring, but he felt inclined to do it. Lightning had done spot of organizing already, so it could have been far worse.

Occasionally, Serah did forward him a picture. Usually every 15-20 minutes, sometimes followed by 'Do you think Lightnings guy would like this?'. If only Serah knew who she was asking that of. Admittedly, Lightning looked great in all of the dresses. They were all spectacularly different in design and colour but he felt that all of them suited her.

Some were even reminiscent of the Pulsians blue. It reminded him of Fang, and Vanille the last true denizens of Pulse.

They'd all be reunited, soon. And that'd be something to look forward to.


	7. Chapter 7

nauticalreverie: Don't worry, I never give up on writing these things. Sometimes, the inspiration just takes a little while to find me. :3

-Rachel

* * *

"I can't believe you're leaving already!" Serah pouted, she hated the idea of Lightning not staying a moment longer. Had it been a week, already? It seemed like Lightning had only been there a few hours, let alone seven days. A week was just far too short for a 'visit' especially when you hadn't seen your sister in a few years.

Lightning couldn't resist a small smile and laugh, "I'll be back in a month, and you know you can video call me whenever you want- within reason." she quickly added in the last part, so Serah wouldn't end up calling her in the middle of the night. Now when Serah called should Hope stay out of the background and vice-versa so Snow/Serah wouldn't catch on? Would it really seem 'suspicious' given their history and close friendship? Plus, if need be the cover story on that could be Hope was helping her to find a new job. It was simple, and believable.

"Don't worry sis, we will." Snow grinned, wrapping his arm around Lightning and Serah's shoulders, looking from one Farron girl to the other.

Reflexively, Lightning almost said 'I'm not your sister' for old time sake, but now didn't seem the time- it'd only end up ruining the moment. Truth be told, that old sentiment didn't fit their relationship dynamic anymore- Snow actually felt like family, and there was absolutely no one else Lightning would ever hand Serah over to. "Serah, would you mind giving up a second?" Lightning asked.

"Uh, sure..." Serah gave an almost blank look, gazing from Snow to Lightning before walking out of the room.

"Something the matter?" Snow asked, a questioning look on his face.

"Not really." Lightning shook her head, looking up at the taller man, pausing for what seemed like an eternity. "I know that a very long time ago, I was temperamental when it came down to you calling me 'sis' or 'sister'...but I want you to know, that I'm fine with it, now." maybe it was one of those things that 'went without saying' but she wasn't actually sure. Snow always had a strong personality and tended to do whatever he wanted, regardless of how people reacted, and that may have been why all those centuries ago they butted heads so often.

Snow had been really quiet after hearing Lightning's words, his silence was honestly making her uncomfortable. Willing him to say or do anything, she just wanted the awkward moment/tension to be gone. "This is really it, huh, us becoming a family?" Snow asked, smiling at Lightning, inwardly wondering if he should hug her or not.

"I guess so." Lightning nodded, "What do you...want me to call you?" she averted her eyes for a moment, the subject wasn't one she was particularly fond of, but Snow did deserve a say in what she called him from now on. It wasn't that she didn't include him as family, or that she hadn't thought about the notion of calling him 'brother'- in fact, it made her proud to have someone like him joining their family. Even if it meant Serah would no longer be a 'Farron', maybe it was time they let go of their past. Their parents would have loved to have been here for this day, and it was a shame that they'd never be able to see Serah's special day.

"Alright, come here." Snow pulled Lightning in for a hug, stepping back from the gesture, he laughed a bit. "Call me whatever you want. You don't have to call me 'brother' you can just say 'Snow' if you want." scratching the back of his head, he grinned at Lightning a bit. She wasn't one to enjoy physical contact and in the heat of the moment Snow had completely forgotten that fact.

Decidedly, Lightning knew that Snow would love to hear her call him 'brother', and maybe she'd test it out right now. "You take care of her, you hear me?"

"Hey, it's not like I plan to do anything else!" Snow's grin didn't fade at all.

He was still so cocky. "No brother of mine is going to be a deadbeat."

That word didn't seem to register with Snow at first, but once it did, Lightning swore she'd never seen him like this before. Maybe when she'd given her blessing on Pulse for Serah and him to be married, but even then it didn't seem to come close. "Don't worry sis, I've got this."

"I believe you." Lightning smiled, "Now how about you take me to the airport? I have a plane to catch."

"Sure. We just gotta get Serah and then we'll be on our way." Snow exited the room for a moment, returning with the younger Farron sister.

"Just what were you two talking about?" Serah asked, wondering what could possibly have been so important that she had to exit the room altogether. Knowing Lightning, it could range from almost quite literally anything.

"That if he ever hurt you or made you cry I'd beat him all the way from here to Pulse." Lightning spoke in a completely serious manner.

"Oh." Serah completely believed her sister, it seemed like a Lightning thing to do.

Snow couldn't resist a small laugh at Serah believing Lightning, "Not that I'd ever let such a thing happen."

"You better not. Don't think I'll be too embarrassed to hit you in front of a whole wedding party, either." Lightning chided him, though the two of them were making it seem completely believable to Serah, they were in fact kidding. Ruin her sister's wedding day? Lightning would never resort to that. It had after all been an occasion she'd wanted to see for over a thousand years.

Serah shook her head, sighing softly but still smiling at Snow and Lightning. "Oh! Don't we have to get going?" she glanced at the clock, seeing they were running out of time.

"You're right." Lightning needed to be at the airport to endure more lost time for flight protocols and things she didn't really care enough about to understand.

"Let's get to it." Snow led the sisters from the house to the car, letting the two of them banter through the ride. He enjoyed listening to Serah and Lightning speak about her at home life. Serah honestly just couldn't get enough details on her big sister, and how she lived back at home. Lightning explained that she wanted to find a job that suited her needs, and didn't feel like a means of survival. Truth be told, it was like Cocoon all over again, Guardian Core.

It felt like no time had passed in those situations, that she was still that angry twenty one year old, fighting and taking her anger out on Snow. It wasn't because he deserved it, but because she needed an outlet for her anger, and he gave Serah things that she couldn't in that time- support, love, faith, and everything in between. Lightning didn't want to go back to her old ways, of shutting down and not saying how she really felt, just going along with what was convenient. She didn't have the luxury of another thousand years if she went under, like before. That's how long it took, for her to shed a single tear. Lumina helped her to see the light, along with the false Serah.

"Lightning." Serah tried to call to her sister, to let her know that they were at the airport, but it seemed like she was stuck in her thoughts.

"I think she's zoned out." Snow chuckled, "Hang on, I'll snap her out of it." climbing out of the drivers seat he walked over to Lightning's door and opened it, "Ready?" he asked.

"What are you plotting?" Serah asked skeptically.

"I shout her name from this end, and you do it from that one." Snow grinned.

"Snow, I don't think-" but Serah couldn't convince him otherwise.

"3...2...1... go! Lightning!" Snow shouted her name, causing the older Farron to instantly punch him in the throat.

"Snow!" Serah called out his name, full of concern when she saw the blonde male fall to the ground.

Lightning blinked, seeing him fall. "What were you doing!? Are you okay!?" a person couldn't just decide to sneak up on someone with military training. Serah and Lightning helped him up, while Snow regained his breath.

"Definitely...not...gonna...do that...again." Snow wheezed out.

"Are you alright?" Lightning asked, seeing him slowly nod and wince, she didn't completely believe him.

"It serves you right- you shouldn't have done that." Serah said pointedly, frowning at Snow.

"Sorry." Snow apologized to both women.

"Me too- I mean, I'm sorry, too." Lightning explained, "But I have to get going, I'm late- and you two need to get planning. I'll call you as soon as I get home, alright?" she looked from Snow to Serah, smiling before hugging her sister and brother-to-be.

"Come back soon." Serah already didn't want Lightning to leave.

"I'll be back in a month. You won't even know that I'm gone." Lightning promised, smiling at her sister as she pulled out of the hug. "Goodbye, Serah." she took her luggage inside the airport, waved to Snow and Serah from the doors and couldn't have felt happier. Feeling the buzzing of her phone, Lightning answered it, "Hey, Hope."

"Hey, Light! How's it going?" Hope sounded absolutely chipper, maybe because the seven days that she was gone were up, and returning home within a few hours.

"I'm glad to hear you're happy enough for the both of us." Lightning commented, going through security checks and making her way to the seats people tended to wait in for their flights. Letting loose a sigh, she wasn't up for this. Why couldn't Hope and she have lived closer to Snow and Serah? Maybe she should have asked him to come along, that way she wouldn't have to go through all of this alone.

"I take it the return trip is something you've absolutely been dreading?" Hope asked, a tad bit concerned.

"It is." Lightning couldn't resist another long sigh, "If only there was some way I could skip all of the time this would take and be home right now. At least then I could be with you."

"It won't be long now, and I can't wait until you comeback. It feels like far too long." Hope was trying to keep her spirits up, he didn't want Lightning to be down when she came back, or angry because of yet another terrible flight home.

"Yeah." Lightning agreed, "What are you doing right now? Are you at work?"

"Yes, but I have plenty of free time. I'm currently in my office, grading papers. Plus, my TA is helping me to grade some, so I have spare time to speak with you. Occasionally a student or two may end up dropping by asking for some one on one time, but I can manage to both talk to you and help them. Hypothetically speaking, of course."

"You really like to keep a full schedule." Lightning enjoyed hearing him speak every so often in the background to his TA. Speaking out scientific formulas and correcting a few papers.

"I like to think that you're worth it." Hope didn't mind setting aside time for Lightning, in fact, it was one of the best parts of his day. He always looked forward to speaking with her, even before all of this had started. Not that he'd ever said it aloud, but she made every aspect of his day better, somehow. Scientifically, he could explain every aspect of it, but knowing the mechanics of something as opposed to actually going through it was completely different.

"Alright, now I can't wait to get home." Lightning honestly couldn't think of anything better. But impatience right now wasn't going to help anything, especially when she boarded the plane and ended up trapped in a nightmare.

"I'll try to have everything done before you get home." Hope promised, "It's only a few hours, right?"

"Trade places with me, it'll make the ten centuries we've been alive seem like a cake-walk."

"Is it really that bad?"

"In a month, you'll find out."

"At least we'll be on the same flight, that's gotta be a plus, right?"

"Definitely. From now on, I'm not taking anymore flights unless you're with me."

"It's a promise." even though they both knew his schedule was absolutely hectic, they never really took flights to begin with. And, despite it all, they could barely make it through a week without the other.

"Good."

Lightning and Hope chatted for the entire remainder of her wait time, even up to the moment she had to shut off her phone. She did her best to not come off as obnoxious, but Hope had been her only form of reprieve and savoring every last second she had to speak with him was hard. Watching the in-flight movie wasn't in her best interest, nor was listening to the engines of the plane. Thankfully, she was tired and had the window seat, so she did her best to try and fall asleep. Occasionally the plane would hit a little turbulence and cause her head to bounce on the side a little. At least it was a problem easily solved by placing a pillow underneath her head.

Willing sleep to take her, she tried for what felt like hours.

Opening her eyes, she frowned in annoyance. To her surprise, the captain came on and explained that everyone should make sure their seatbelts were buckled and to all calmly wait their turn to get off the plane. It was confusing, she felt like she hadn't gotten any sleep at all. If this was a dream, she was about to get extremely annoyed. Waiting patiently, she got off at the earliest she could possibly manage. Making her way through the airport, she was surprised to see Hope.

The moment his eyes fell upon her, a big smile spread across his face. "Lightning!" he called and waved to her, striding over to the woman.

Lightning swore she'd never seen him move so fast in her entire life. Despite how silly the two of them may have looked, she rushed over to him. She wasn't sure who started the hug, but it was clear that both of them had really missed one another. "I'm back."

"You're home." Hope corrected her, smiling down at the pink haired woman.

"Speaking of- I need to get over to the baggage claim." Lightning didn't want to stay in the airport for a moment more then she had to.

"Let's go." Hope walked side by side with Lightning, the two eventually holding hands. It was already so great to have Lightning back home. Watching the rotating bags until Lightning's showed up, he was honestly just happy to be by her side again.

"There it is!" Lightning couldn't believe how excited she was over something so trivial and small like a suitcase. But it got her out of this airport, and even that thought was exciting. A month more, and then she'd be doing this again- thankfully, with Hope. Letting go of his hand, she walked over and grabbed her bag, "Let's go."

Hope smiled and nodded, "Okay." leading her through the crowds of people, the two eventually made it to the main front doors. "The car's right over there." he pointed in its direction, walking with Lightning. "Let me get that." Hope grabbed her bag and put it in the back, opening her door for her as well.

"Thanks." Lightning climbed in the car, shutting the door for herself. It was nice to be back.

"No problem." Hope started the car and began to drive them home, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel while they waited behind more eager travelers leaving the airport. Eventually, he did side glance over at Lightning, "What is it, Light?" he asked, unsure why she had been staring at him for so long.

"I'm just...glad to be home." Lightning admitted, "It's not that I didn't enjoy my time with Serah and Snow- but the whole time I couldn't help but think I should be here, that somehow, it felt more like my place." she didn't know how to rephrase it, so she didn't come off as ungrateful for her visit. Serah was in good hands with Snow, and, it seemed like she didn't have a place anymore, staying with the two of them. Her sister needed to live her life, and like Snow said, Lightning had to move forward in her own, have some happiness that she was due in life. Though Serah had offered for Lightning to live with them, she had to turn down that offer. Snow insisted that it was perfectly fine with him, she didn't want to intrude upon the newly married couple, and, she had a life here, with Hope.

"I'm glad." Hope smiled, "Don't get me wrong, Light- I don't mean that I feel relief at the notion that you disliked your time with Serah and Snow to a certain degree. But I like that you enjoy being back here...with me." part of him thought she may actually end up liking her stay with those two, and think of relocating. Maybe it was a childish thing, to want to monopolize all of her time, even if they were dating- it wasn't a feasible assumption to believe all of her time to be his.

"Somehow, I find that I can't ever really be away from you, for long." not even on Cocoon, Pulse, Valhalla, or Nova Chrysallia- she always eventually found her way back to Hope. To be absolutely honest, she never thought that fourteen year old boy she ran into, almost got killed by her Eidolon Odin, would ever end up being the one person she decided to share her life with. It was strange how fate played with your life like that. However, knowing all of the 'coincidences' in her life were all brought on by the Goddess, Etro, she felt a great amount of gratitude toward the deceased Goddess. Were it not for her, she never would have met Hope, and, maybe, she would have ended up another casualty in the war against l'Cie. Maybe she would have killed Fang, and Vanille. Lightning didn't want to think of that dystopian time where she never went through all of those experiences that she did with the chosen six.

Bound by fate, one singular brand that would forever have them all considered a 'family'.

"I never like being away from you either, Light." Hope didn't know how to explain it to her. "Actually, I never knew how lonely I was, until you entered my life. And I don't just mean on this world, either. On Cocoon I was contented being the smart kid in class, even if that comes off completely as me seeming callous- I was different. Kids would abstain from being my friend, due to the fact that I focused on grades as opposed to social obligations. I felt isolated, and save for my mother, I felt completely alone. My father worked alot, and I mistook it as neglect. When I met you for the first time, Light, you gave me a purpose. Even if it was just a falsified grudge against Snow so that I could go on, you made it so that I could continue living. And all of those centuries later, I found a job in science, studying all the varying ways to save Fang, Vanille, you and...looking for ways to save my mother."

Seeing his grip around the wheel tighten a bit, Lightning placed her hand over his, not knowing any other way to comfort him. "We made each other better, that's what counts, Hope. We're partners, remember?" she smiled and did her best to make light of the situation. It was clear that there was still some unsettled feelings, as Hope wanted to talk about these kinds of things. And, if need be, then she'd absolutely discuss every detail that he wanted to. Preferably at home, when they weren't on the road and when Hope didn't need to focus on more than one task. By now, Lightning knew that he could effectively multi-task, but she still didn't want to risk any real chance of them running off the road because they decided to bring up the past.

"You're right..." Hope laughed lightly, smiling softly. His grip relaxed on the wheel, and a few minutes of silence lingered in the air before they were both back home. Popping the trunk, he retrieved her luggage for her.

Lightning climbed out of the car and followed Hope inside. Inspecting the place upon her entry, she was pleasantly surprised. "No mess. You really did make good on that promise you made to me."

"You could have at least a little faith in me, Light!" Hope did enjoy her praise, it made him feel as if he had done something right.

"You're right." Lightning pat him on the head, "Good job."

"Thank you." although he didn't admit it out loud, he had enjoyed that small display of affection. "It's getting late, do you want to turn in?"

"I think that'd be best." despite not yet eating dinner, Lightning didn't feel hungry. "I'm going to have a quick shower, and then I think I'll be going to bed."

"Okay." Hope nodded, "There's clean towels in the bathroom."

"Alright, I'm impressed." Lightning teased him lightly, walking into the bathroom. Hearing Hope laugh as she shut the door, she couldn't resist a smile. Running the water, she waited for it to be just the right temperature, and stepped in. Being able to use your own bathroom from within your own home felt indescribably amazing. Somehow, it just felt completely unnatural use someone elses. Maybe she was crazy for feeling like that, but she couldn't help it.

Hope waited on the couch, for Lightning to finish. He'd already brought her suitcase in the bedroom, so there was nothing else to do on his end- not that he could think of. A few minutes went by, but he was patient. Hearing the door open, he looked over, to find Lightning in just a towel. Averting his eyes, trying to seem like he wasn't peeking at her, he looked out the sliding glass doors, finding anything to draw his attention. Lightning made her way to the living room and stood in front of Hope, staring down at him. "L-Light?" Hope again looked away, he didn't want her to think he was some sort of pervert.

"Alright, it's your turn." Lightning said in a very serious manner.

"What do you mean...my turn?" Hope asked, staring blankly up at her. "If you mean a shower- then I already had one..."

Lightning shook her head, "Remember I did something for you, before I left?"

"I don't-" Hope was drawing a blank, until it hit him. "Y-you want me to..." instantly finding himself embarrassed at that notion, he felt his cheeks getting hot. His ears had also started burning, and he wasn't sure how to refuse in this situation.

"I'm kidding." Lightning laughed, "It was a joke. But I'm going to bed. Are you coming?"

"Sure..." Hope felt a tad bit gullible, letting her easily get to him, like that.

"Come on." Lightning grabbed his hands and made him follow her to the bedroom. It was refreshing to be around him, again, seeing him do everything in his power to try and not look at her. "I don't mind, you know." she pointed out, "Believe me, if I hated you staring, then I would have made it very clear from the get go."

"Even if you say that..." Hope still felt uneasy.

"It's fine." Lightning assured him. Deciding to try and put him at ease, and also point out that it was, in fact, okay, she dropped her towel to the floor. Despite her intentions, Hope had turned his head away. "I wait a week to come back, and you won't even look at me." she decided to feign being hurt, a tactic that Serah said she could use at her disposal.

"But-" Hope tried to argue, though he found it all to be in vain.

Lightning sighed softly to herself, it was clear that she couldn't change his mind on the matter. Taking one of his shirts to wear, she put on underwear and walked over to the bed. "All finished. See?" she showed him the baggy shirt, waving her arms for the added effect.

"Uh...yeah." Hope nodded, looking up at Lightning. Her hair was still a little damp, the shirt was more like a dress from how it dangled down to her mid-thighs, the sleeves slinking beneath her shoulders. Lightning wearing his clothes was something Hope never really thought of, before. She looked beautiful in anything she wore, regardless of if she thought so.

"What? Do I look strange?" Lightning asked, looking down, "It's your shirt, you know?" she pointed out, putting her hands on her hips.

"You look beautiful."

"Alright, you asked for it." Lightning pushed him back on the bed, climbing on top of him, and kissing Hope chastely. "I missed you."

"Me too...I mean, I missed you, too." Hope corrected himself.

"Well, how about...we make up for our lost week?" Lightning asked.

It was embarrassing to say aloud, so Hope nodded to Lightning's request. If his mother knew that they couldn't even last a whole seven days being apart, Nora would start teasing Hope about 'wedding bells' and the fact that 'Lightning's a keeper'. Not to mention she brought up the fact that she wanted grandchildren on a daily basis, having met Lightning. He didn't know what their future was, or how things would turn out- but it didn't matter. So long as he and Lightning could be together, then nothing else seemed important.


	8. Chapter 8

I apologize for any and all spelling mistakes within this chapter. Sometimes, I like to stay up and write these things really early in the morning. And that honestly doesn't always work out for the best.

 **Darkconvoy99:** Although I loved your idea on what was to happen- I already had something in mind. Could you imagine Light and Hope actually getting married without the others knowing? I think Serah would flip out (and not entirely in a good way) haha. And oh my god, just dropping in with their hidden love child? Depriving poor Snow of being an uncle and Serah being it's aunt? Plus, not to mention the other aunts and uncles that it'd have along the way (Sazh, Fang, Vanille, Noel, Yeul).

Now, for some background on what's happening: A month has skipped time-wise and yet another plane ride from hell without some Final Destination shenanigans in the mix later. Hope and Light arrive at the wedding, everyone splits off to get ready ((The girls/bridesmaids, The boys/groomsmen)), Lightning and Fang find themselves in quite the interesting predicament, and things start from there. And while I would have _loved_ to have written all of that in, maybe I be forgiven for making this chapter 7300 words ((not counting this very long intro I have just typed up?)).

And if not, well, I guess such is fate, am I right?

-Rachel

* * *

"He doesn't know." Lightning spoke up, to the very interested Fang, it was quite the predicament the two of them stumbled upon.

"Well, if he doesn't know by now then can you imagine just how much he'll bloody blow his top when he finds out?" the Pulsian woman was grinning, letting out a small laugh and shaking her head. "So long as you don't end up beating the groom to a bloody pulp, then I think the rest of us are going to be just fine." Fang winked at Lightning.

"Could we please just get rid of that stick covered in someone elses pee?" Lightning asked, it made her feel completely uncomfortable that Fang had handled it in general, let alone leaving it on the counter in the bathroom.

"That's certainly an idea." Fang shrugged, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, "What's it feel like, knowing you're about to be an aunt?"

"I'm not the only one- I mean, you're all going to be aunts and uncles, too, we're all family here." Lightning pointed out.

"True. But you're the only one who's blood." Fang felt that was a very valid point to make out. Who knew that they'd end up finding a pregnancy test in the trash? Of all things that you were trying to keep secret, it probably wasn't the smartest of things to throw in your waste basket in the bathroom. What if Snow had come in and seen it?

"I think by now we all know that means nothing." Lightning shrugged her shoulders, "None of us here are blood related, except for me and Serah, but we see you all as family. Like it or not, you guys are all apart of this."

"Sure, sure." Fang nodded. Both women momentarily startled by swift turning of the doorknob, Fang quickly grabbed the test and hid it beneath a portion of her dress, doing her best to make sure it was hidden. To their immediate relief, it was Vanille who stepped through the door, smiling brightly, her green eyes looking from Lightning to Fang.

"What are you two doing in here? The party's out there!" Vanille chirped happily, while the wedding had yet to start, all of the bridesmaids were getting dressed and ready together. It saved a lot of time getting their hair and make up and any odds and ends finished.

"Well, we've just been let in on a little secret." Fang smiled coyly, seeing Vanille's instant piqued interest.

"What is it?" Vanille asked, "I wanna know!" a secret? What kind of secret was it?

"Nothing important." Lightning shut down the idea, and sent a pleading look to an inquisitive Fang.

"Oh! What is it, come on, you can tell me!" Vanille tried to be reassuring, pouting at the two women.

"We just got our hands on the grooms vows, that's all. It's quite the interesting read. Who knew he could be such a sap?" Fang played it off coolly, but she sent Lightning a look that said 'we'll talk later'. Why would Serah's pregnancy be such a key issue that they couldn't let anyone else in on? Then again, if they told too many people, then maybe it'd get back to Snow somehow. You had to be careful with these kinds of sensitive things.

"Aww! I can't wait to hear them!" Vanille swooned at the idea of Snow and Serah's wedding. It'd be great to see the two of them finally tie the knot, and it was so exciting to have the whole group together, again. How long had it been since the original six were together- all of them?

"Yeah..." Lightning readily agreed, wanting the subject to be anything other than the found test. "Well, I'd better...go and check on Serah." standing up, she walked past Vanille, "It's good to see you both, again."

"You too!" Vanille smiled, "We should see each other more often!"

"Yeah, rather than wait seven for years every reunion." Fang piped up after Vanille.

"Count on it." Lightning agreed, making her way to Serah. Knocking on the door, she waited until Serah called back with 'come in', and was mesmerized by the sight of her sister in a wedding dress. "You look beautiful." she said the first thing that came to her mind, shutting the door behind herself.

"Do I? Are you sure? Isn't it...a little much? Am I not doing enough? Is there...something else I could be doing, anything at all?" Serah asked, somehow she felt that no matter what she did, it couldn't be perfect enough.

"What are you so nervous about? You could walk down the aisle in a sack and Snow'd still love everything about your outfit." Lightning pointed out the obvious, "I think you look just fine, don't change a thing." for a change of pace, Serah wasn't wearing her hair in a side ponytail, instead she let it be loose and curled, the back intricately braided.

"Are you really sure?" Serah turned to face her older sister, looking for her guidance on the matter.

"Yes." Lightning couldn't think of anything Serah had to do, "Now that you're ready all we have to do is make sure some rowdy groomsmen are actually on time, dressed, and not ruining your special day. I volunteer for the disciplinary committee." it seemed like the perfect job for herself, despite being the maid of honor, she could actually juggle more responsibility.

"I think...Snow can handle it. If anything, Hope would definitely make sure they were on time." Serah was sure all of the boys could get ready on their own, she also wanted her older sister by her side through this. It was strange, being so sure that this was something she absolutely wanted, and then getting nervous when the day hit. What happened to all of her confidence? Snow was the person that she wanted to marry, and she was sure of it. So why did she feel so anxious?

"Yeah, Hope certainly is dependable. And I doubt our hero would trip at the finish line." in the back of her mind, she was still worried about Fang spilling the beans. It wasn't that she had a big mouth, but there was still a real possibility of a slip up, and then things would only get stranger. "Serah."

"Lightning?" Serah curiously stared up at her sister.

"There's...something I...should tell you." Lightning didn't know how to fess up to this.

"What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything." Serah stood up, wondering what could be bothering her sister.

How to say this? There wasn't any real, easy way to come out and tell your sister a secret of this magnitude. Let alone on her wedding day.

"It's alright, I can take care of this." Hope helped Snow to adjust his bowtie, he couldn't help but to feel moderately humored by the present situation. It was no secret that none of the men really knew how to do this kind of thing, so they were all lined up behind Snow for Hope to help them. "See? How does it look?"

"Thanks, Hope." Snow felt a little ridiculous that he couldn't even manage something this simple. Hope made it look simple, but in reality, it was about the most ridiculous thing in the world to try and do. "It looks pretty spiffy. Can't say I'd have managed to do this, on my own."

"I'm sure you would have figured it out." Hope couldn't help a small laugh at the grinning groom.

"Are you makin' fun of me?" Snow asked, ruffling Hope's hair and laughing himself.

"Not at all." Hope couldn't resist laughing with him.

"Not to interrupt- but how about we get this show on the road?" Sazh asked, despite it all, the eldest of the former l'Cie himself didn't even know how to complete the task at hand.

"Sorry." Hope apologized, quickly helping Sazh and Dahj with their ties. Quickly helping Noel, it seemed like the whole gang was ready.

"So, how do you guys think the girls are doin'?" Snow asked, he couldn't imagine any of them slacking off, especially with Lightning being the maid of honor. Serah too wouldn't let anyone put a hitch in her special day, not that Vanille, Fang or Yeul would ever dream of such a thing. Finding dresses that suited each individuals needs was something Serah put a lot of thought into, as the Pulsians had a different taste in attire than people from Cocoon, and Yeul was used to far more modest clothing styles.

"Honestly? I think they're probably all ready to go." Hope didn't think they were going to fall behind.

"Knowing Lightning, they're all waiting on us." Noel piped up, "Not to mention Serah, considering she has an uncanny Lightning impersonation when she wants to." her students on Gran Pulse certainly made that clear. Not that he knew how her students on the new world felt about her.

"That's a good point, most likely true." Sazh nodded, "Lightning doesn't mess around. And I don't think her little sister's wedding is an occasion she'd make an exception to."

"Yep. And that's what makes 'em so great." Snow loved the dynamic Serah and Lightning had. Being an only child, he'd never understood what it was like, that is, until he met everyone throughout the centuries. The original six had a bond that started from their brands and evolved beyond that- they all became a family, by choice. "Well, at least one of the many things I could list off."

"Great save." Sazh laughed, "I know Lightning would probably appreciate that."

"Is this Serah's day, or Lightning's?" Noel asked, they seemed to be mentioning Lightning, a lot. Even though it was true that her wrath could reign down upon them if need be.

"We all know whose day it is- Snow and Serah's." Hope piped up.

"That's right." Snow slung an arm around Hope's shoulder, "And I hope my best man can keep everyone in line."

"Hey, far as I'm concerned- you're still the biggest kid here." Sazh pointed out, earning a laugh by all present.

"I'm pregnant." just saying it outright like that, Lightning didn't know how else to say it. This was Serah's day, but she'd stupidly managed to ruin it, by forgetting to dispose of her test properly.

"What!?" Serah could barely contain her excitement, "Are you really!?"

Lightning nodded, surprised when Serah suddenly hugged her. "Fang found the test, I panicked and went along with her idea that it could be yours- and I'm not sure if she'll end up talking to Snow..."

"That's okay...we'll find some way to fix it." Serah promised, stepping back, "Does anyone else know? Does the father know? Did you only take one test?" she'd started to babble, and Lightning didn't know how Serah was taking this all in stride.

"No." Lightning shook her head, slowly rubbing her hand up and down her shoulder, "He doesn't know, and I did just the one test. But...there were some... _other_ signs that I may be, which is why I had to take it."

"Oh." Serah understood what Lightning was hinting at, "Is the father here? Because if it comes out that someone's pregnant and I take the credit for it- then Snow will find out... and he'll be all excited, and if you do it then he'd...well, I don't know how that person would react. Because I don't know who he is."

"He's here, but I haven't told him." Lightning sighed, "He had so many other things to deal with, and it was a surprise to me- today only confirmed what I'd been thinking for a while." she didn't want to layer on the surprises, but she would have to tell Hope. And Serah would find out somehow that it was, in fact, Hope that fathered her unborn child. "Fang won't tell anyone, I think she understood that it was something not to be advertised, I'll just have to tell her the truth. Snow won't find out. Plus, I don't know what he'd be more excited about- you being pregnant, or him being an uncle to my kid." how would Serah deal with two kids at home, anyway? Snow was still a big kid, and maybe it was a good thing that his character never really changed.

"It looks like today's a very special day." Serah couldn't imagine being in Lightning's shoes. "Maybe try and take him aside privately, so you can tell him and that way he'll have a good amount of time to react. And if he gives you any trouble at all, you let me know and I'll give him a piece of my mind." it didn't matter what kind of person that man turned out to be, if he hurt her sister- then he'd answer to Serah about it. "I know that Snow'd also have a few things to say to him."

"Thank you." Lightning didn't know why, but she felt tears in her eyes. It must have been hormones, because a few fell. "I don't know how he'll react- and I keep stressing out about it. He's a good person, and I know that he won't end up leaving me because of something like this- but I'm prepared for anything that happens. If need be, I'll raise it on my own." that was the absolute worst case scenario she'd thought of, and though it wasn't even moderately feasible, she still entertained the idea.

"Are you okay?" Serah asked, seeing Lightning cry had her tearing up as well."

"Something about hormones...and nonsense." Lightning explained, she felt absolutely ridiculous in the moment.

"I'm going to be an aunt!" Serah did her best to try and cheer Lightning up, "And that's really exciting! This is like the best wedding present you could have ever given me!"

Trying to compose herself, Lightning nodded, wiping away her own tears. "I just...I don't know what's going to happen."

"Sure you do!" Serah encouraged her, "No matter what happens, you know that you can always stay with me and Snow!"

Wanting this conversation to be over with, Lightning nodded, She didn't want to be the cause of ruining her sister's special day, but it was better Serah find it out now rather than some off-handed comment by someone else. On top of it all, she still had to have that talk with Fang, somehow make sure she absolutely didn't tell a soul. And then, she had to let Hope know, all the while trying to keep things under wraps that it was him. Maybe everyone would find out when she didn't have a date with her, though she had told Serah the dad was here. Her spending the night speaking to Hope would obviously be a big tip off.

Stressing herself out wouldn't help anything, Lightning took a steadying breath and helped Serah to finish getting ready. The ceremony was about to happen, and there would be plenty of time for socializing/conversation later. "I'm going to go check on the others, alright?"

"Sure. I'll see you soon." Serah nodded, smiling at her sister.

Lightning walked out the door and made her way back to the others. All she had to do was survive the ceremony...the after party...and the dinner. Sighing, she knocked on the door before walking into the boy's part of the church. "Good. Glad to see I don't have to pummel any of you." finding herself stared at by Hope, Snow, Noel, Sazh and Dajh all with the same odd look, Lightning raised a brow. "What? Did that not come off as a joke that doubled as a threat?"

"I can't believe how well you look in that dress, Light." Snow pointed out the obvious, "I mean, I know Serah and I helped ya to pick it out and all this and that- but you still...is my sister in there, at all?" he joked, knowing fully well he risked some form of physical punishment for doing so.

Narrowing her eyes a bit, Lightning looked amongst the crowd, "Am I to believe all of you think this way?"

"Well, that is to say it isn't as if you don't look nice in whatever you wear- but I don't think I've ever seen you out of combat armor." Noel pointed out, when they'd first met she was a Knight of Etro, and then the Savior. This was their first time seeing each other on the new world, and Lightning didn't seem to have changed very much but it was still nice to see her.

"Yeah, it's nice to see you lookin' so snazzy." Sazh agreed, "No worlds to save, great evils to thwart- a civilian, just like the rest of us."

"You look nice!" Dahj gave the most simplistic answer of all the boys, smiling up at Lightning.

"Thank you." Lightning smiled back at him, "You look really sharp yourself. Careful, you might end up having girls swarming all over you." she knelt down and helped him to adjust his jacket a bit, once more feeling the combined stares of everyone. "Am I doing something wrong?"

"No." came the cumulative response, all of them shaking their heads.

"Good." Lightning stood up and straightened herself out, "I just came by to check if you were all ready. Serah's ready to go, and if you're having any cold feet and think of running- you better hope I can't track you down and find you, big guy." though she said it with a smile, each person within the room shuddered as it came off as a very real threat. Happy to see that she still instilled some form of fear in their hearts, Lightning made her way to the door.

"Can't wait to meet Mr. Mystery man!" Snow grinned as he said it.

Lightning momentarily stopped at the door, looked over her shoulder and smiled a bit, "Not if I can keep him from you the whole night."

"Darn. And here I was lookin' forward to the whole 'you hurt my sister, I kick your ass' speech I had prepared." Snow joked.

"You think I couldn't handle him if it came to that?" Lightning asked, "Him and Bhunivelze can be bunk mates if he decides to hurt me." she couldn't see Hope's reaction to what she was saying, but she still had to play the part, regardless. "I never thought I'd hear myself saying this, but, Snow, I'll see you at the alter." shuddering at her own words, Lightning walked out of the room.

Regrouping with the women, she found it to be much easier company. Vanille and Fang were talking to one another, Yeul was sitting by herself, the girl smiling contentedly. Not wanting her to feel like the odd one out, Lightning went over to the blue haired girl, "Hey."

"Hello." Yeul nodded to Lightning, "I don't believe we've formally met."

"No." Lightning shook her head, "But there's a first thing, for everything."

"Yes, new meetings open up many new possibilities and roads that are unfathomably filled with love, and light, or despair and darkness." Yeul agreed with Lightning's sentiment. It was very clear that the former seeress still retained her 'old soul' from being reincarnated over centuries on end, her wisdom was very evident of this.

"Knowing which paths influenced fate and being constrained not to intervene, how did you...hold yourself back?" Lightning knew that it was a rule of the Farseers not to do such things, as it would only cause destruction, but she was still curious.

"When you can see what happens from every choice you make regardless of how simplistic or significant it appears to be, and know that you can help mankind to flourish, then there is no alternative. Through each incarnation I may not have lived past 15 years, but it was enough. And the Goddess gave her blessings to those she knew could handle them best. I believe that is why she chose you so long ago, Lightning." questions about time, her being the seeress and fate weren't foreign to Yeul. She no longer had visions, and was forced to wonder why Lightning wanted to know about such things, now, when they no longer truly mattered.

"Etro was a strange Goddess." Lightning sighed, "I think we all have to take our places, now."

"Yes, it seems like." Yeul agreed, nodding to Lightning and standing up.

Lightning stood along with her, walking over to Fang and Vanille, "Ready?" she asked, each girl had to pair up with their respective person, but Lightning wasn't able to take part in that tradition, and for good reason- she was giving Serah away.

"Ready as we're gonna be." Fang smiled and nodded.

"Yep!" Vanille chirped along with her, both women ready to walk down that aisle.

"I'm going to go and wait with Serah, you guys go on ahead." Lightning left them behind, going back to the room Serah waited in.

"It's really starting, isn't it?" Serah asked, "It feels just like a dream."

"It's really happening." Lightning nodded, "Are you ready?"

"I am." Serah said excitedly, both sisters hearing the signal that they had to go.

"Let's go." Lightning opened the door, Serah and she walking down the corridor, and making their way through the large doorway. The instant they did the wedding music started, and both slowly made their way up to Snow and the others. Lightning couldn't believe this was it, the moment that she had to give her sister over to someone else. If only it had happened a thousand years earlier, like it was meant to have been.

"Who gives this woman to be wed?"

"I do." Lightning answered the man to be performing the ceremony, letting go of Serah's arm, and joining her fellow women on Serah's side of the alter.

He began to speak and officiate the ceremony, but Lightning was staring at Hope the entire time. Though she hadn't meant to zone out everything else and be entirely self-absorbed, she couldn't help but to focus on everything she'd tossed aside just a little bit ago. Why was she stressing out, so much? Because they hadn't been dating, for very long? Because it had only been about a month and a half to two months, and something like this had happened? Maybe it was also because of Snow and Serah getting married. Though Yeul didn't know it, Lightning had earlier wanted to know about fate, and her stance on it, because of this very situation. Yeul made some very valid points, and Lightning felt a little more reassured because of that fact.

Before she knew it, Serah and Snow had slipped on their rings and kissed, and she'd entirely missed the moment. All of the guests clapped, and Lightning joined suit. Snow didn't miss a beat, and insisted that everyone make their way to the venue they had set up outside so they could start their meal. Snow and Serah walked arm in arm, Lightning and Hope paired up, Yeul and Noel, Sazh and Fang, Vanille and Dahj.

"It was a beautiful ceremony, wasn't it?" Hope asked, trying to make small talk with Lightning, he hadn't had the chance earlier and wanted to make up for it.

"I was...distracted." Lightning said low enough for him to hear and no one else.

"Oh? What were you thinking about?" from how much emphasis she put that this night be absolutely perfect, he found it strange that Lightning could just blank out.

"It's...nothing." Lightning didn't think now was the perfect time to tell him, she needed it to be private- just like Serah had suggested it to be. This kind of conversation was one you definitely wanted to have one to one.

"Is it something you can't tell me?" Hope asked, wondering what it could be that Lightning felt she had to hide.

"I'm not sure." Lightning admitted as they got to their table. Surrounded by her friends, and Hope still had a questioning look lingering on his face. All of the glasses were filled with champagne, and she couldn't drink the alcohol. Fang was sending her the same look that Hope had been, and Lightning was feeling a tad bit frazzled.

When it came to be time for the toast, Hope stood up and began to give a speech he'd been preparing for the occasion a long time. At the end of it, everyone drank from their glasses, Lightning included, but she spat it out and hoped nobody saw. Though from Fang's look, it was clear that she had. "Excuse me." Lightning walked away from the table, wondering if the Pulsian was going to follow. All she had to do was make sure they were at least out of earshot, so Lightning walked a small distance away from the festivities.

"Alright, spill it." Fang said nonchalantly, "I'm not so sure it's Serah at this point."

"You're right." Lightning sighed, "It's me- I'm pregnant. And I don't know how to handle this. I'm trying to keep things as low profile as possible, but people keep finding out. First you, and then I had to tell Serah, just in case. And before I know it, all of the guests will know, except for the person I want to tell the most."

"He's here, isn't he?" Fang asked, "You want some alone time with him? Then I can keep everyone else off your tail. You could'a just let me in on the secret, you know? Would've been a lot easier in the long run. So long as we're talking about secrets, how about lettin' me know who's the lucky fella?"

"You probably wouldn't believe me, if I told you." Lightning reasoned.

"It's Hope, isn't it?" Fang asked a question that caught Lightning completely off guard.

Deciding to play it cool, Lightning scoffed and shook her head, "Of course not! Why would you think that!?"

"Well, for one thing, you two seem to be pretty chummy. And for a whole other they laid out a place specially for your mystery guy that has yet to be filled. Plus, that answer you just gave made it seem pretty obvious." Fang could tell when she was being lied to, though it may have taken her a little while to figure it out from Vanille, Lightning was much easier to read.

"Does everyone know?" Lightning asked Fang, wondering if she thought she was more secretive than she actually was.

"Don't think so. They're all kinda on the 'who is this person?' train. So I think you're pretty in the clear to take him aside and let him know." Fang was being surprisingly really cool about it all.

"Lucky me." Lightning said almost blandly, though she was thankful someone knew the whole truth about it all, even if it wasn't Hope.

"Yeah, at least someone's pretty intuitive around here." Fang joked, winking at Lightning.

"I didn't realize there'd be so much alcohol at events like this." Lightning sighed, "Do you think anyone will notice me rejecting all the offers?"

Fang shrugged "Maybe. Just tell 'em you're not in the mood. It's not an obligation you have to fulfill, anyway."

"I guess so." Lightning agreed.

"So, when ya gonna tell him?" Fang asked the one question she was dying to know the answer to.

"How would you do it?" Lightning asked, "If you were in my place, how would you handle this kind of thing?"

"I'd put all my cards on the table, and if that wasn't good enough, then too bad." Fang shrugged, "The women in our village weren't taught to be total pushovers, and we could take on any challenge we wanted to if we put our mind to it. It's not as if I'd have to go through it alone, anyway. I know that all of you would support me, regardless of if the father didn't."

"Fang! You're pregnant!?" Vanille asked aloud, surprising both women.

Fang and Lightning shared a look, both pondering what to say or do next.

"Don't you worry, I've got this." Fang smiled coyly at Lightning, "Yeah, I am. Got a problem?"

"No way! I can't believe you are!" Vanille ran over and hugged Fang, giggling. "Why did you keep it from me?"

"Too much on my mind, I guess." Fang apologized, knowing fully well that she had to try and keep this act up for a bit. Lightning wanted it to be a secret, and they could straighten this out at the after party, at the very least some other time that wasn't now. Lightning mouthed 'thank you' to Fang, earning a nod from the Pulsian woman.

"I...have to go." Lightning stepped away from that situation, trying to keep track of things she had to do for the night. Things were becoming so complicated. As much as she would have liked to join in the festivities, she felt nauseous at the scent of some of the foods, and walked around for a bit outside. Watching the sunset, she jumped when feeling someone tap her shoulder.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" Noel defensively raised his hands in the air.

"Oh...it's just you." Lightning felt relief and disappointment it was someone other than Hope.

"Glad to see you too, Lightning." Noel joked a bit, "So, why are you out here, all alone? Doesn't seem like you. Or, maybe it does...splitting off from the group, having a solo act."

"There's something that I have to do, and I'm trying to find the resolve to do it." Lightning explained.

"What could be so hard to deal with, that Lightning Farron has to go off on her own and think for a good chunk of time?" Noel asked, he was genuinely curious.

Leaning on the ledge in front of her, Lightning sighed. Looking over at Noel, she decided to try and say it outright. After saying it to two people before him, it was becoming a little easier each time. "I'm pregnant."

"Whoa. Really?" Noel asked, blinking in surprise.

Nodding, Lightning took in yet another deep breath, "So while it may seem rude, and like I've gone back to my old ways- I can't stand to be around the stench of that food and alcohol. It makes me really nauseous, and I think the kid hates it."

"Well, if it helps any- the foods all over with, and the dancing's actually started. That's kinda why I came out here to find you, see if you wanted to join in." Noel explained.

"If I go in there, then I have to tell him." Lightning reasoned.

"Come on, he can't be that bad of a guy!" Noel tried to assure her, "Tell you what...how about I take you back, and we share a dance? That'll take your mind off things, and that way it buys you some more time. Better than freezing out here."

"It's a good offer- but I think I might have to refuse." Lightning wanted to stay outside for a bit longer.

"I can't let you freeze alone. Especially in your condition. Here." Noel undid the buttons on his coat and slipped it over her shoulders.

"You don't have to do this." Lightning tried to refuse his kind gesture, but the male wouldn't hear of it.

"What kind of person would I be if I didn't help a friend in need?" Noel reasoned, smiling at the pink haired woman.

"Thank you." Lightning hugged him, "For listening, and for the jacket."

"No problem." Noel laughed, "You just sort out your stuff and take your time."

Lightning nodded, "Thanks."

"Lightning!" Hope called out her name, running over to the pair. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was just having a chat." Lightning said, motioning over to Noel.

"Yeah, I came out here and we had a little talk." Noel explained.

"Oh. Was it about that thing from earlier, you couldn't talk to me about?" Hope asked, blissfully unaware of what Noel and Lightning had been talking about.

Noel instantly looked over at Lightning, putting two and two together.

"I'd love to stay and chat but Noel invited me to dance!" Lightning grabbed Noel by the arm and began to lead him off, leaving a confused Hope behind them.

"It's Hope, isn't it?" Noel asked.

"Please, _don't_ tell him, okay?" Lightning asked, leading him to the dance floor.

"I promise, I won't. I was...just caught off guard." Noel admitted, "You and Hope? I didn't know that you two were even together, let alone expecting."

"Hope doesn't even know the last part, and nobody knew. That is until Fang guessed earlier, and you just found out completely by accident." Lightning did her best to explain, and keep her voice down so that others wouldn't overhear.

"Oh, so I was second to know. Way to go me." Noel joked, trying to make light of the situation. "What about Snow and Serah? I bet they'd both be over the moon if you told them."

"Serah knows that I'm pregnant, not who the father is. And Snow is completely unaware."

"How'd she take it?"

"She offered to chew out the father if he decided to reject me and our baby. Then said Snow would probably let him have a good beating if need be."

"If only they knew who they were talking about."

"You're telling me."

Lightning and Noel finished up the rest of their dance in silence. Though many question still lingered in the air, Noel didn't want to badger her.

"Looks like we gotta change partners." Noel said, seeing Hope approaching them. "Now's your chance."

Turning her head, she saw Hope, about to reply, she was glad when Snow cut in. "Mind if I take her?"

"Not at all." Noel shook his head, stepping away from Lightning and letting Snow take his place. Going to find Yeul, he sent Lightning one was look and smiled.

Lightning let out a grateful sigh, "You don't know how you saved me right now, hero."

"Did I, now?" Snow smiled, "So, what's this I hear about me bein' an uncle?"

Lightning frowned, "Serah told you, didn't she?"

"She was excited- don't be too mad at her." Snow didn't want Serah to be in trouble with Lightning.

"Actually, I'm not mad." Lightning shook her head, "It saved me the trouble of telling you myself."

"Can't help but notice your guy isn't here." Snow said, "Did ya tell him? Cause if he ran off on ya, then I'm gonna find that punk and let him know the mistake he just made."

"He is here Snow, but thank you." Lightning smiled at his promise that had an implied beating in it.

"Really? Who is it? Cause all I saw you dancing with was Noel...he's not the father, is he?" Snow asked, he couldn't but notice Noel was out a jacket and Lightning was wearing it. She left the party for a bit, and Noel followed her out.

"No! What would make you think that!?" Lightning couldn't resist scoffing and a snorted laugh.

"You two spent a bit of time together. But if it isn't Noel, then who is it?" Snow asked, he really wanted to know, and clearly was terrible at guessing.

"Do you promise not to run off and tell him before I get the chance to?" Lightning countered his question with an offer of her own.

Pausing for what felt like an eternity, Snow agreed. "I promise I won't blow your secret."

"I'm taking you on your word." Lightning reminded him, "It's Hope."

At that, Snow missed a step and clumsily almost made them both fall over. "Really?"

Lightning nodded, "Yeah."

"Didn't know he had it in him." Snow mused, "And you two were dating behind all our backs."

"I like my secrets." Lightning didn't know how better to explain it.

"I can see that." Snow was still semi-shocked. "Did you tell him?"

"Are you kidding? I decided to be completely unconventional and tell everyone but him." Lightning felt like the situation had gotten a bit out of control.

"Smart." Snow couldn't resist laughing.

"Yeah, so smart." Lightning laughed with him.

"Looks like he really wants to dance with you, should I let him cut in?" Snow asked, he didn't want to be blocking Hope from seeing Lightning, especially after learning of two bombshells like this. But if Lightning asked him to because she wasn't ready to deal with the situation, then he'd do it.

"I think it's time I tell him."

"I think so too." Snow agreed, "Good luck, sis."

"Thanks." Lightning braced herself a bit, seeing Hope walk over.

"Can I...talk to you for a second?" Hope asked.

"Sure." Lightning found herself being led outside by Hope. She wanted to say something, anything to fill the void of silence between the pair, but she was honestly drawing a blank.

"This thing you wanted to talk about...you want to break up with me, don't you?" Hope asked, looking sadly at Lightning.

"What? No!" Lightning shook her head, "Why do you think that!?"

"Well...you've been avoiding me all night, haven't you?" it seemed like she'd been dodging him, maybe he was mistaken.

"You're not wrong." Lightning admitted, looking down for a moment, "But it's not what you think!" she promised, "I actually have something to tell you, and I don't know how you're going to take it."

"What is it?" Hope really wanted to know what was so important that she felt like she had to hide it.

"Hope, I'm pregnant." the moment she spoke those words, she felt as if the whole world had stopped. Every second that passed by, seemed like an eternity. It was clear from his facial expression that Hope was stunned by her revelation to him. Who wouldn't be? It was a big thing to tell someone, let alone when that person thought they were being dumped. "It's...better than me leaving you, right?" she tried to fill the silence, and willed him to say anything.

Hope could see that she was faltering a bit, and when it seemed like Lightning was going to run off, he grabbed the sleeve of her jacket and stopped her, pulling the woman into a hug. "It's the best thing that I've ever heard in my entire life." he admitted, "My mind was racing, and I had no idea that this was the reason why."

"I'm sorry. I was just scared of telling you, and I ended up telling everyone other than you." Lightning felt so stupid. Why did she think it would be so hard, and that telling him would be anything other than something like this? Maybe he wasn't the only one that liked to worry excessively.

"I'm sorry that you felt like you couldn't tell me." Hope smiled down at her, "I love you, Light. And I'm not about to run off at a moments notice, and I don't aim to make you feel like you can't tell me things. You're the one person that I feel like I can tell everything to, that makes my days feel like they have some sort of meaning."

"You love me?" Lightning asked, that wasn't something they'd said to each other, before.

"I do." Hope nodded, "It only took me a thousand years to realize that fact."

"Well, it took me what felt like a thousand years to find the courage to tell you about this. So I think we're even."

Hope laughed a little bit, "So, do you have an answer for me?"

"Oh." Lightning didn't register the fact that she hadn't given him the 'L' word back. "I love you, too."

"Do you think we should go back in?" Hope motioned to the wedding.

"No." Lightning shook her head, "How about...we have our dance out here?"

"I don't mind at all." Hope readily agreed.

Slowly taking their positions, Hope began to lead Lightning in a slow dance. At first, he was a little clumsy, exactly like he said he might be, earning a few laughs between both adults. Eventually, things took a turn for something a little more serious. Dancing slowly in the moonlight, both lovingly staring at one another. Resting her head on his chest, she Lightning absentmindedly listened to Hope's heartbeat. To her surprise, it wasn't pounding a mile a minute. It was one of those moments you absolutely wanted to last forever, time seemed as if it had literally come to a stand still and Hope and Lightning were the last two people on the new world.

Interrupted by the sound of whistling, both adults looked over to see Snow, Serah, Fang, Vanille, Noel, Yeul, Sazh and Dajh.

"When did the party start outside?" Fang asked, "And why the bloody hell didn't you two let us in on the fun?" the Pulsian woman let out a small laugh, smiling playfully at the pair.

"I can't believe I was the last one to know!" Serah didn't know why Lightning felt like she couldn't be more forthcoming about it all, and it made her feel bad that Lightning didn't share who it was.

"I didn't tell her- I promise!" Snow grinned raising his arms in surrender, letting Lightning know that he didn't want her to get physical with him.

Vanille couldn't resist a small giggle on her end, "I can't believe it's you instead of Fang!"

"One surprise after another...it's hard to keep up with this group." Sazh joked, "Congratulations." he added in.

"How about we have a group photo. This time- with Lightning." Noel suggested, what with the revelation she'd given all of them for the day, it seemed like the perfect thing to do right now.

"Not yet." Lightning shook her head, walking over to Noel, "You need this back." she said, giving him his jacket.

"Thanks." Noel smiled, "Now, how about it?"

"Fine. If it's that important to all of you, then I guess I'll do it." Lightning agreed to the picture, acting as if she hadn't wanted to participate.

"It is." Snow insisted, "You're now _officially_ my sister." he set up the camera and the timer. "Everyone get ready!" taking his place beside Serah, "3...2...1!" all of them struck a pose as the flash went off.


End file.
